NORTHAMPTON — Hampshire Regional knocked in the first half.
The Raiders boys soccer team probed down the Northampton sidelines and into the Blue Devils penalty area Monday. It lacked a decisive touch or finishing ball to end the scoreless deadlock.
“Creating the opportunities in the first half was something I was happy about,” Hampshire coach Dan Moynihan said.
The chances kept coming in the second half, and Hampshire didn’t waste them. The Raiders put away three goals in 16 minutes to start the season with a 3-0 road win.
Sophomore Aidan Miklasiewicz found the net first in the 53rd minute. He made a strong run down the left sideline following a through ball like he did many times in the first half. Those early forays ended in misses and frustration. Miklasiewicz kept calm and buried his first attempt of the second half. Owen Millay picked up an assist.
“It’s nice not to have to worry about a 0-0 game,” he said.
Hampshire (1-0, 1-0 Holley) nearly made it 2-0 shortly after. The Raiders penetrated the penalty box once again, and a shot skipped away from Northampton keeper Alex Caldanaro, who finished with eight saves. It bounced toward Miklasiewicz, who slid to try and flick it into the net with his toe. Northampton sophomore Finn Norsen slid valiantly in its path and took the brunt of the collision to his chest. A foul call ended the threat.
But the Raiders sensed an opening and kept forcing the issue.
In the 61st minute, Evan Novak fired a shot wide left from the right of goal. But Liam Illingsworth was crashing the back side and tapped it in uncontested.
“In the first half, we lacked a little bit of urgency getting in the box,” Moynihan said. “In the second half, we had that urgency. Getting that first goal takes all the pressure off, and I think they were a little tight before that.”
The Raiders stayed loose eight minutes later. Illingsworth grabbed a brace when he tapped the ball into the net in the 69th minute practically falling down in a scrum. Jesse COnnors had an assist.
“I was not very balanced when I hit it, but it was scrappy,” Illingsworth said. “Everyone was crashing, and I just wanted to get the foot on it.”
Hampshire carried possession for most of the game, and center back A.J. Dybacki, a senior captain, neutralized most threats that got too close. Raiders keeper Elan Kuntz only needed to make three saves.
“Any time you have a clean sheet, you’re happy with the defense,” Moynihan said.
Northampton’s best chances came on set pieces early in the second half. The Blue Devils (0-1, 0-1) earned a corner then decided to play it short. Hampshire’s Novak sniffed it out and immediately cleared the ball for a throw in.
The Blue Devils had a free kick outside the box three minutes later that was sent between the wall and the mob of bodies in the penalty box, but a Northampton touch caromed away from danger.
“They had us on our heels a lot in the second half, and we just ran out of gas,” said Northampton coach C.J. Holt, in his first game with the Blue Devils after nearly a decade leading Hopkins Academy. “We just weren’t able to keep up with them in the second half. That was the difference.”
Kyle Grabowski can be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @kylegrbwsk.