Class B boys soccer: Hampshire wins Class B title over Frontier following Jesse Connors’ overtime goal (PHOTOS)

WEST SPRINGFIELD — Eighty minutes weren’t enough to decide the Western Mass. Class B boys soccer championship game between top-seeded Hampshire and No. 6 Frontier on Tuesday night. 

Both teams lit up the scoreboard once in the first half but the defenses dug in during the second half, with the game knotted at one after regulation. 

The Raiders got a throw-in six minutes into the opening overtime period and made the most of it. The throw came from the right sideline 10 yards from the Frontier end line, and Dan Martin heaved the ball into the Redhawks box. 

A slew of players swarmed to the ball but it deflected off Jesse Connors and into the back of the net, giving Hampshire the sectional championship with a 2-1 victory at West Springfield High School’s Clark Field. 

“We knew it was going to be a close game,” Raiders coach Dan Moynahan said. “Frontier had only lost one game this season. That might have been the first time this season we went down 1-0. They did struggle with it but that’s the sign of a championship team. They collected themselves, started possessing the ball more and gradually built the offense back up.

“We don’t usually do that many long throws,” Moynahan added. “We felt it was a good way to attack today.” 

While Hampshire (16-0-3) wasn’t able to get the go-ahead goal during the second half, it was able to build momentum with strong play in the attacking end. 

Moynahan credited his midfield for controlling play and generating chances in the Frontier end. 

“The first thing you need to do is create chances,” Moynahan said. “I thought our midfield play improved in the second half. We got into small triangles, we kept the ball more and they were chasing the ball more. We were chasing the ball during the first half.” 

The Redhawks (17-2) were on the other end of an overtime decision in the semis, taking advantage of a Belchertown mistake to advance to the finals. 

Frontier coach Evan Horton said he was proud of his team’s effort on Tuesday, feeling his squad competed much better the second time around against the Raiders. Hampshire won the regular season meeting, 3-1, back on Sept. 20. 

“We talked at the break before the first overtime and said it was going to come down to one mistake,” Horton said. “That’s what happened. Golden goals are tough because you don’t have an opportunity to make up for that mistake. That game was as even as it possibly could have been. We can walk out of here with an overtime loss to this team and not feel bad about it.” 

Hampshire had a golden chance to open the scoring in the first half, but Frontier goalie Owen Babb wasn’t going to allow that to happen. 

The Raiders drew a free kick near midfield and sent the ball into the box, where a Hampshire player was able to get a head on it and deflect it toward the right corner of the goal. 

Babb used his entire 6-foot-6 frame to dive out and knock the ball out of bounds and away from the goal to keep the game scoreless. 

Four minutes later, the Redhawks turned the tide with a goal of their own. 

Chanmin Son passed the ball to Chanhee Son 30 yards from goal, Chanhee Son turned away from a Hampshire defender, took a dribble or two in and blasted the shot in from 25 yards out, giving Frontier a 1-0 lead. 

“We were asleep at the wheel the first time against them and tonight we weren’t,” Horton said. “We came out flying. You saw a tilt. They had it in our end quite a bit in the second half. We had our chances. I’m not upset about any of that. That’s a stacked, loaded team.” 

While Frontier controlled possession for the majority of the first half, a penalty late in the frame got the Raiders back in the game. 

Hampshire drew a penalty just inside the box in the final five minutes of the half, giving the Raiders a penalty kick.

Brendan Stevenson buried the PK, tying the game at one going into the half. 

“We knew it was going to be a battle,” Hampshire senior Aidan Miklasiewicz said. “The first half we didn’t play as well as we wanted. Second half we came out and had a lot more opportunities. It shows how hard this team is willing to battle to get the win.” 

While both teams had their chances in the second half, it was the Raiders who were able to put more pressure on the Redhawks during those final 40 minutes of regulation. 

Hampshire nearly scored on a throw-in during the second half, with the header just scraping over the bar. The Raiders looked like they took the lead with 22 minutes to go but were ruled offside. 

“They were running at us early,” Raiders senior Aidan Moynahan said. “We were able to stop it and flip the script during the second half. We knew they had some great players but we were able to exploit them.” 

Both teams turn their attention to the state tournament now, which gets underway later this week. 

“Our season isn’t over yet,” Horton said. “We are just getting better. The Belchertown game was a step up and this game was a step up.”