Boys’ soccer team bows out in sectional semis

After extending their season with a magical finish in the Division 2 sectional quarterfinals, the third-seeded CHS boys’ soccer team seemed to have all the momentum on their side heading into last Friday’s semifinal showdown with No. 2 Hopkinton.

Senior captain Scott Levy (Mike Barucci photo)

But it was apparently not meant to be as the Bulldogs surrendered two first-half goals and couldn’t recover despite several good scoring chances, falling 2-1 before a packed crowd at Bridgewater-Raynham High School.

The loss ended the season for the Bulldogs, who began the year with high hopes after winning the south in 2010. They still accomplished plenty — a 12-2-6 record, a fourth consecutive league title, a No. 2 ranking in the Boston Globe soccer polls — but they fell just a few wins shy of their ultimate goal of winning the state title.

“It’s certainly stinging them right now,” said head coach Danny Erickson. “The seniors especially, they set such a high standard for themselves and for the program, but as a little bit of time goes by, they are going to recognize their contributions and how great they were.”

They were great right up until the end on Friday as well. Other than the two goals they surrendered, which came on a pair of miscues in the backfield, the Bulldogs were solid all afternoon against a top-notch Hopkinton team.

Junior Matt Lennon had the team’s only goal, but they also had numerous chances to score down the stretch, including a bullet from senior captain Chris Murray that hit the crossbar with just under ten minutes to go.

Other top performers in the game included senior goalkeeper Colby Gavigan, who ends his career with countless school records, and senior midfielder Matt Malloy, who was the “best player on the field,” according to his coach.

Erickson hoped the loss in the semis would not overshadow the team’s other great performances, including last Wednesday’s 3-2 thriller over Westwood, which he called the “coolest game of the year.”

After battling to a 2-2 draw in the opening half, the two squads kept each other in check until the waning seconds of the game, when Gavigan made a huge save on a Westwood breakaway, then punted the ball downfield to senior Scott Levy, who beat the Wolverine keeper for the game-winning score.

“It was about as much drama as you could possibly think of,” said Erickson. “It was awesome.”

In the end, what Erickson will remember most from this season were the contributions of his seniors — a group that made history with four straight appearances in the sectional semifinals along with one sectional championship.

All 11 of them — including backs Andrew Vinciguerra, Matt Kelly and Dave Feeney, as well as Cam Huber, Daniel Burkowsky, Josh Klein, and Aaron Seto — had a hand in the team’s remarkable success.

“I will miss that class greatly,” said Erickson.

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Posted by Jay Turner on Nov 16 2011. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.