H.S. Sports: Hampshire boys soccer battles back to defeat Hopkins Academy

Down by a goal in the second half, the Hampshire Regional boys soccer team was searching for its first goal in Wednesday afternoon’s game against Hopkins Academy. Parker Christy brought the ball all the way up the pitch from his spot at center back, being tripped up and earning a free kick in the process.

The ball was spotted just outside the penalty box, a few feet to the left of the middle of the field. Colin Cahill lined up to take the kick, facing a cluster of players from both sides in front of the net. He came through and struck the ball hard on a line, making its way through traffic and sneaking inside the right post.

With the game now tied as time dwindled down in the second half, the Raiders looked to add another. Just a few minutes later, Cahill lobbed a ball from his midfield spot to Joseph Moro at striker.

Moro received the pass in the air, coming left out in front of the net. As the Golden Hawks scrambled to make a play on the ball, Moro got a piece of it with his head. The ball slowly dribbled past the goal line, as Hopkins’ keeper dove to try and make a play. This left the score at 2-1, where it remained until the final whistle.

The pair of goals came late in the game for Hampshire, after struggling to generate quality opportunities throughout most of the game. Despite dominating the time of possession throughout the game, quality scoring chances were hard to come by until the second half.

“What I told them is just, ‘We’ve got to just keep it simple,’” Hampshire head coach Josh Wietecha said. “‘We’ve got to put shots on the goal. We can win the possession game in the middle, but we’re not going to score our goals by doing that. We score goals by shooting on frame and putting some pressure on their defense and the goalie.’”

Hopkins knew the pressure was coming before the game even started, and shaped its game plan around using good defense to generate offense. The team’s lone goal went perfectly according to plan.

After a nice play on the defensive end in the first half, the Golden Hawks got up the field in a hurry. Wyatt Soriano corralled the ball out of the air at his striker spot, stalling a little bit up the left side. He battled with defenders, coming away with the ball behind his opponents and burying a shot into the back of the net.

“We executed what we wanted to,” Hopkins head coach John Fillio said. “We knew they were going to be pressing the entire game, and we played defense. That was our game plan. Just try to contain them as much as possible. And we knew they were going to break through at some point. You know, getting the early lead was great, but, you know, [we broke] down in the final 15 minutes.”

A big reason for the late breakthrough for Hampshire was the stellar play of Cahill. The senior captain dictated the game on both ends, making his presence known more than just on the stat sheet.

“[Cahill’s] all over the field for us,” Wietecha said. “He’s the one that generates a lot of our chances … He’s been a really huge help for us this season, and in this game.”

Even with a big day out of one of their most important players, the Raiders held their breath on multiple other Hopkins’ scoring chances. Soriano received a slew of through balls during the contest, shooting several times while powering his way through defenders.

Down to the last whistle, the Golden Hawks raced to all loose balls, doing anything they could to tie the game up late, despite coming up short.

“The kids fought, they showed heart, and you know, that’s what we’re aiming for, get better every game and keep competing,” Fillio said.

Hampshire held strong, continuing to apply pressure and stick to its game plan. In a game that began ugly for the Raiders, they pulled out a gritty win, showcasing what makes them special.

“Biggest takeaway is you’ve got to show up to the game, play a full 80 minutes,” Wietecha said. “If you don’t show up for your game, teams will be able to put you away no matter where you are in western Massachusetts.”