MANCHESTER, NH — They won’t all be works of art but they all look the same in the record books.
Manchester West fought off a stubborn challenge from Gilford High, remaining unbeaten with a 2-0, Friday afternoon at Meisel/Veterans Field.
West got goals from Ishara Asifiwe and Tone Ajack to improve to 3-0-0.
But this win would not be as easy as the Knights’ first two (a combined 15-1). Gilford (0-3-0) brought a gritty, aggressive style of play and forced West to battle for every loose ball and scoring chance.
”We’re just trying to take things step-by-step,” said West Head Coach Fernando Martinez. “We make mistakes. But then we take them and work on them in practice.”
West jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a first-half goal by Ishara Asifiwe. But unlike their first two victories, the Blue Knights found scoring chances few and far between against Gilford, which marked tightly and packed the defensive zone.
Playing from in front, West responded to Gilford’a style with maturity and patience, refusing to get drawn into making a reckless error.
At one point, midway through the second half, midfielder Supporte Mkunge took a hard foul near the West sideline. Rather than respond in anger, the Blue Knights immediately set up their play for the ensuing free kick.
West had a great chance to double its lead midway through second half, off a corner kick from the right side. Issa Mkunji got a clean bid from 20 yards but keeper Gavin Forest was able to make a nice save.
“Every day, we’re looking to play more and more as a team and not as individuals,” said Martinez. “We look to pass the ball, run our plays, look for the mistakes and then attack them.”
One such mistake came with just over nine minutes left to play. Forest wandered well out of his box to make a play on a loose ball. His attempt clear the ball was blocked by West forward Tone Ajack, who settled the ball and calmly chipped it into the open net to make it 2-0.
West’s victory sets up an early season showdown of Division III leaders, as the Blue Knights host unbeaten Kearsage (3-0-0), Monday night at 6 pm.