Boys' Fourths Soccer vs Hebrew High School New England

Score/Result: 1-0 W

On a cold, damp Wednesday afternoon the Quad Squad put their undefeated record on the line against Hebrew High School of New England. After 80 minutes of hard fought soccer, this game will go down as one of the classics. The Rhinos dominated possession for much of the first half but were unable to find the back of the net. Hebrew High’s goalie played a tremendous game and kept thwarting away our efforts. At one point it looked like Courtland Boyle may have scored, but he was called for illegal contact on the goalie. It was a call that could have gone either way, but the Rhinos were determined to push on. Will Meeker made two saves in the first half to keep the game scoreless.

The goal going into the game was to keep the midfield fresh and change lines every 5 minutes. This strategy worked to our advantage, as the Rhinos were quicker to the ball in the second half. With fresh legs, we continually worked to get shots on goal. Tommy MacMullen played a beautiful game on the left attack and created many of our scoring opportunities. He must have crossed 15 balls on this day through some fancy footwork, and at one point launched a shot that grazed the crossbar. At another point in the second half, the ball ricocheted off the right crossbar. The crowd groaned at another close call. Time was winding down in the game everyone could feel the intensity out on the pitch. We made another midfield change with about 6 minutes left in the game to make one last attack on goal. Less then a minute later Kevin Klempner found the ball at the top of the 18-yard box and buried a low liner past the keeper. GOOOOOAAAAALLLLL!  The bench erupted and the crowd went wild.

To Hebrew High’s credit they made one last counterattack and caught our defenders off guard with their quickness. Nick Salnikoff slid to make the save of the season and preserve the 1-0 victory. Upon the final whistle the whole team hugged Salnikoff and his heroics. This was a game for the ages and every player left their mark on the field. The defense played brilliantly all game and we never stopped attacking. A true TEAM effort!

The Quad Squad is back in action on Saturday, October 27 away at Milbrook at 2:30 PM. Hope to see you there!