This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
10/05/2015 12:00 AMValley boys’ soccer faced off at home against Class M foe Sheehan in a non-conference game on Oct. 3 and the teams finished in a 1-1 tie. The Warriors knotted the match on an own goal with 45 seconds remaining in the contest. Nick Lepore blew past the defense and chipped the ball to Garrett Hines, who was set to score when a Sheehan defender attempted to clear the ball and kicked it into his own net.
“We won the ball and put the defenseman in an impossible position,” Coach Mick Fearon said. “Garrett was going to score, so Sheehan did the only thing they could and we’ll take it.”
The Warriors played great defense against the Titans as each team fought for every possession in a scoreless first half. In the second period, Sheehan broke out with a goal at the 58-minute mark. Valley was outshot 15-6, but got a great effort from goalkeeper Buddy Haydu, who had nine saves.
“I thought we matched their intensity and fought with them. They’re a big team and technically sound,” said Coach Fearon, whose team is 2-2-3. “Our defense played very well—Jason Simoneau, Johnny Lacoske, Alex Lepore, Ryan Davis—the entire back end played terrific, and I think this is something to build on. Hopefully, this week we get back a few players from injury, because we have to get some points to qualify for states and we have a couple of tough games against East Hampton and Old Lyme coming up.”
Earlier in the week, Valley went on the road to face Morgan on Sept. 29 and lost a physical defensive game on a soggy night, 1-0. The two evenly matched teams battled and, at the 12-minute mark, freshman Calvin Jackson of Morgan got the ball and broke into space. On a night when players seemed hesitant on the field due to the slippery conditions, Jackson made a decisive move and shot from 20 yards out. It was an unexpected play that seemed to catch Valley’s goalie by surprise. The well-struck ball ripped into the back of the net in the upper-left corner to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead.
“We limited them to long-range shots, which is what we wanted to do,” said Fearon, whose squad is 1-2-2 in Shoreline Conference. “But [the defense] got caught diving in on the play, which is something we talked to them about, so it’s disappointing.”
The officials let the teams play and it led to lots of take downs and tackles that initiated gasps from the excited crowd. Both teams put pressure on one another in the first half, but neither team could capitalize other than Morgan’s score and the Huskies led 1-0 the break.
In the second half, Morgan stormed out of the gate and had Valley on its heels, although some good defense and a few nice saves by senior Haydu kept the score at 1-0. After the initial surge by Morgan, Valley gained control of the match and seized the momentum for most of the final period. The Warriors appeared to be on the verge of breaking through as their attack dominated play, yet each shot was thwarted by the Morgan goalkeeper.
“We were trying to make the perfect play instead of just shooting,” Coach Fearon said. “We were a bit uncertain and needed to take a shot at the target. Too much thinking and not enough reacting.”
Valley played well and gave the Huskies everything they could handle in the final minutes, but in the end, the Warriors just couldn’t get the ball in the goal for the equalizer.
“I thought we controlled the ball in the second half and sometimes you have to be dangerous around the box,” Coach Fearon said. “You just need that one chance for someone to get in there and make it happen. I think we’ve been playing well, but it’s disappointing, because I feel like we should be better record-wise than what we are. Now, we have a lot to fight for to make the Shoreline Conference Tournament.”
• Head Coach Mick Fearon is in his 13th year as Valley boys’ soccer coach.
• Senior Garrett Hines was voted by his teammates and coaches as the Warriors’ lone captain.
• Valley has upcoming games against Shoreline Conference foes East Hampton and Old Lyme this week.