Boys’ soccer: The Hopkinton Hawks remain undefeated and fly first in the standings after win over Kearsarge

Hopkinton’s Rowan Boyle (4) shoots low to the bottom right corner in the second half to cement the Hawks’ win over Kearsarge, 3-1.

Hopkinton’s Rowan Boyle (4) shoots low to the bottom right corner in the second half to cement the Hawks’ win over Kearsarge, 3-1. Alexander Rapp / Monitor staff

Hopkinton junior forward Kristof Cauley (8) dribbles through Kearsarge defenders in the midfield on Tuesday.

Hopkinton junior forward Kristof Cauley (8) dribbles through Kearsarge defenders in the midfield on Tuesday.

Kearsarge senior forward Brady Donovan (11) scored his team’s lone goal from a similar position late in the first half of the Cougars’ 3-1 loss to Hopkinton on Tuesday night in North Sutton.

Kearsarge senior forward Brady Donovan (11) scored his team’s lone goal from a similar position late in the first half of the Cougars’ 3-1 loss to Hopkinton on Tuesday night in North Sutton. Alexander Rapp / Monitor staff photos

Hopkinton’s Fin Murphy (11) and Kearsarge’s Eli Cooper battle for the ball in the midfield in the Hawks’ 3-1 win over the Cougars on Tuesday night.

Hopkinton’s Fin Murphy (11) and Kearsarge’s Eli Cooper battle for the ball in the midfield in the Hawks’ 3-1 win over the Cougars on Tuesday night. Alexander Rapp / Monitor staff

By ALEXANDER RAPP

Monitor staff

Published: 10-09-2024 2:47 PM

Modified: 10-09-2024 11:47 PM


NORTH SUTTON – Hopkinton midfielder Noah Aframe’s throw-in acumen is thanks to his basketball skills, and he dished out two alley-oop-like throws to assist jumping strikers in the box. The throws backstopped the Hawks’ 3-1 boys’ soccer win over Kearsarge on Tuesday.

Aframe also provided one more assist for Rowan Boyle’s low-driven shot to complete an assist hat trick.

“Feels great. I mean, coming to Kearsarge, a rival, and getting out of here with a win. Can’t ask for more under the lights. Can’t beat it,” said Aframe. “Everyone stepped up today and that’s what all you can ask for.”

With the win, Hopkinton remains undefeated through 12 games in the Division III standings. The Hawks are top of the table, and the team looked prepared to compete for the title. Kearsarge is now eighth in the standings and is likely to make the playoffs with a 6-3-3 record.

The Hawks knew this game would be one of the toughest of the season, away from home on a brisk night and wet grass, according to coach Scott Zipke. Their fans, mostly the members of the girls’ soccer team, brought the noise and at times it felt like a home game for Hopkinton.

The two goals assisted by Aframe, one scored by Kristof Cauley and the other by Fin Murphy, pushed Hopkinton into the lead early despite the fast-paced, back-and-forth tempo of the game. All of the Hawks’ goals came from set pieces, and they exploited vulnerabilities in the Cougars’ defense.

“Most of it is mental. Obviously, there’s a physical aspect to it. It comes down to wanting it more, and that’s something that we can, we can teach, we can work on and we will,” said Cougars coach Cooper Gunn. “It’s definitely frustrating to have conceded three goals off of set pieces and something we’ll continue to work on.”

The Hawks’ lead was imperiled after Kearsarge senior forward Brady Donovan curled a shot into the top right corner with 10 minutes left in the first half to draw the Cougars closer.

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“Kearsarge came at us out wide and tested, and they had a real nice goal against us. But I thought my guys played some good soccer tonight in spite of the conditions,” said Zipke.

The second half was a stalemate as Hopkinton knew how to find gaps and possess while Kearsarge scrambled to even the score. Boyle’s goal initially hit the post and then ricocheted off Cougars goalkeeper Gunnar Benedict into the net sealing the game.

“There were times tonight when we kind of played hectic, when we let the temperature kind of rise. Even though we had the lead, we got to figure out how to control the game better,” Zipke said.

On the other side, goalkeeper Travis Windhurst held his goal and saved many shots from Kearsarge although most came from outside the box.

“I think we created plenty of chances, enough chances to score and win the game, just finishing the ones we create. That’s the final piece for us because everything else is there,” said Gunn.

Alexander Rapp can be contacted at arapp@cmonitor.com.