MIAA boys soccer: Quinten Chen comes up clutch for Belchertown in Div. 3 prelim round win over Salem

WILBRAHAM — For 100 minutes of gametime, sophomore goalkeeper Quinten Chen watched from the sideline as his Belchertown teammates battled Salem in the preliminary round of the Division 4 boys soccer tournament Friday night.

He stood as the Witches took a first half lead as fog spread across Falcon Field at Minnechaug and cheered when the Oriole tied the game 1-1 in the second half.

Then when the contest headed to penalty kicks, it was his turn to take the field.

With Belchertown up 1-0, Chen stopped back-to-back shots, diving to his left and right to hold Salem scoreless. After Ryan Lacroix sunk his shot to make it 2-0, Salem was down to their last chance.

Belchertown students chanted the letter “Q” and the fog gave way to rain as Chen took his position in goal. Salem’s fourth kicker missed wide as the Orioles ran from midfield to celebrate the win.

“He came up to the pressure and he exceeded it,” starting goalkeeper Andrew Lambert said. “It was incredible to watch. That was one of the best things of the season.”

The 2-1 victory over No. 38 Salem sends No. 27 Belchertown to the Round of 32.

“Feeling relieved. I thought we played a lot better soccer during proportions of the game,” Belchertown head coach Zach Siano said. “I keep telling these guy they get to control their own narrative, write their own story.”

Chen’s story to playoff hero started days before. Throughout the season, he and starting goalkeeper, junior Andrew Lambert trained for penalty kicks with each other every day in practice.

As the sophomore improved with each day as the tournament drew near, Lambert went to his coaches and told them Chen deserved the look if any game came down to penalty kicks.

“I just want what’s best for the team,” Lambert said. “I got to see (Chen) in and I was just more confident that he will be able to do more for the team than I would in the penalty situation. It was a pretty easy decision to pass along to him.”

Chen walked out to the field telling himself he was going to make every save. Despite stepping right into the big moment, he didn’t feel the pressure.

“It’s more pressure on the shooter actually,” Chen said. “Because it’s more likely for them to make it and if they miss, that’s on them.”

Chen’s length made it difficult for Salem to find its spots. Its first kicker missed high and right. The two times the Witches got a shot on net, Chen was there to make the stop.

“He’s such a domineering figure out there,” Siano said. “He did everything he needed to do. I think he guess right on every single hit or miss there.”

Thanks to a strong schedule, the 5-11 Orioles were higher in the power rankings compared to the 10-5-3 Witches. Due to rain forecasted by the end of the game, Belchertown athletic director Kevin McNeil secured the turf field at Minnechaug for the match.

Salem’s Harrison Hapworth scored the first goal four minutes before halftime. He received the ball in the box and had 1-on-1 with his defender. A quick move and shot around the left bar put the Witches up 1-0.

“We need to be mentally strong,” Lambert said. “After that first goal we had a couple minutes where it was a lapse and we sort of lost it. But my job as a leader back there is to keep their heads and keep them shifting.”

Lambert stood tall for the rest of before passing. He made two saves and sent plenty of kicks back to the midfield to set up the Orioles on the other end.

His final act was being the first to jump onto Chen after the win.

After halftime, Siano switched up his team’s structure and personnel in hopes of capitalizing on scoring opportunities.

The Orioles responded to the changes quickly.

Less than four minutes into the half, senior Jacob Gladu made a run up the right side of the field. As he neared the corner, he crossed the ball around his defender and to the front of the net. His pass connected with Alexander Ryczek, who wasted no time to finish the possession with a goal.

Both teams had their fair share of opportunities for the rest of the half and two overtimes.

Belchertown saw headers late in the second half and first overtime just pass over the cross bar. In the second overtime Salem launched two shots that just missed.

While Siano is still looking for his team to put together a full 80 minutes of strong soccer, they’ve proven they can go for 100 and pull out the win.

The Orioles move on to face No. 6 Greater New Bedford Regional Voc. Tech. next week. Despite a gap in the seeding, Belchertown has already played close games against top-five division opponents in Pope Francis and Chicopee, even splitting the season series against the Cardinals.

Hampshire 2, Uxbridge 1 — The Raiders received the deciding goal from Riley Florek in their Div. 4 preliminary round win.

Florek scored in the second half for Hampshire, the No. 27 seed, on an assist from Billy Warren.

Zak Hamel tallied the Raiders’ first goal, with Florek earning the assist.

Hampshire goalie Max Johnson made six saves.

The Raiders will face sixth-seeded Manchester Essex Regional in the Round of 32 on Tuesday at 5 p.m.

Girls soccer

Gateway 10, Avon 5 — The Gators came out on top in the Div. 5 preliminary round goalscoring parade.

Gateway, No. 31, moves on to battle No. 2 Hopedale in the Round of 32 on Monday, Nov. 9 at 2 p.m.

Field hockey

South Hadley 4, Seekonk 1 — The Tigers advanced in the Div. 4 bracket with a decisive home victory in the Round of 32.

South Hadley will take on No. 7 Monomoy Regional in the Round of 16 next.

Uxbridge 6, Belchertown 0 — Lila Roy obtained 16 saves, but the Orioles’ season ended in the Div. 3 Round of 32.

Belchertown finished the season 12-4-4 overall.

Girls volleyball

Smith Voc 3, Brighton 0 — The Vikings began its return quest to the Div. 5 state final with a convincing sweep in the Round of 32.

The road gets significantly more challenging for No. 13 Smith Voc though, as it travels to No. 4 Saint John Paul II next with the match set for Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 5 p.m.

Medfield 3, Belchertown 1 — The Orioles avoided the sweep, but fell in the Div. 3 Round of 32 on the road.

Cassidy MacLean and Harper Bean combined for 27 kills for Belchertown, which closed out the season at 12-7.

Mount Greylock 3, Easthampton 1 — The Eagles started fast, but ran out of steam in the Div. 4 Round of 32 defeat.

Camilla Corsello accumulated seven kills to lead Easthampton, which went 9-13 this season.

Football

Div. 6

Norwell 50, Belchertown 6

Div. 7

Saint Bernards 49, Easthampton 20 (Thursday)