BEDFORD, NH — High school soccer in early November is very different than the game played in early September.
The stakes are significantly higher for teams still playing after Halloween. Defenses mark more tightly, referees call fewer fouls, scoring chances are hard to come by.
And the game is played with emotions every bit as raw as the weather.
No.4 Trinity High threw everything it had at top-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas but came up short in a 2-1 loss in the Division III State semifinal, Wednesday night at Bedford High.
Senior forward Angus Forman’s second goal of the game came with just 1:12 left in regulation and propelled the Saints into the D-III Championship game against No. 2 Kearsarge, Saturday at Bedford.
Forman, who tallied 24 goals during the regular season, posed a threat every time he touched the ball. Trinity’s defense worked well, throughout much of game, keeping him from getting clean looks. Leading the effort was senior Connor Cote, who broke up six plays inside the 18-yard box.
”Connor? He’s a dog. He just works his butt off out there,” said Trinity Head Coach Mark Papp. “(Our defenders) played a heckuva game.”
The loss marked the end of Trinity’s 12-game unbeaten streak. But the Pioneers’ appearance in the state semifinals marked a resurgence for a program that had been through tough times in recent years.
Trinity got off to a shaky start this season. The team was 2-2-2 through six games, including a 5-2 loss at home to St. Thomas Aquinas back on Sept. 10. The young Pioneers, a team with just four seniors (two starters) on the roster, matured over the course of the season. After giving up 11 goals in its first six games, the team allowed just nine over its final 13 (10-1-2).
”At the start of the season we were cautiously optimistic we could make the tournament,” said Papp. “We’d had a couple of really rough years. Then, last year I thought maybe we had started to turn a corner.”
In Wednesday’s semifinal, Trinity played with the confidence of a team that knew it belonged. The Pioneers moved the ball effectively, using short, crisp passes. But tight defensive play by the Saints prevented clean scoring bids. STA keeper Ben Puertas faced just three shots on goal in the first half and eight for the game.
Despite limited opportunities, Trinity broke on top in the 10th minute on a goal by sophomore Ben Voveriis. The score was set up by a sensational play by Ntefeloudis Panos. The junior forward showed off some dazzling footwork, then curled a perfect crossing pass to the front of the net. Voveriis times his leap perfect and headed it past Puertas for a 1-0 lead.
It stayed way until the 22nd minute, when Foreman netted the equalizer. Cote had made a play on Forman in front of the net but Ryan Gould blocked the clearing attempt and quickly got the ball back to Forman, who drilled a shot past Tyler Charette (4 saves). The Trinity keeper got a hand on the shot but it snuck inside the far post.
With neither team able to generate sustained offensive pressure prime scoring opportunities were scarce in the second half. Trinity’s best chance re-claim the lead came in the 72nd minute, when Panos took a feed, just inside the box, from Andrew Wood. For a moment, it appeared Panos might have a wide open bid but as he swung his leg into the ball, STA senior Brady Livas slid across the turf to block the shot.
With time winding down, the game appeared destined for overtime. Forman had other ideas. With about 1:30 remaining, St. Thomas had a throw-in deep in Trinity territory. After a scramble for possession, a clearing attempt by Trinity deflected off an STA midfielder and onto the foot of Foreman.
With a rare clear look, Foreman didn’t hesitate burying a shot in the corner of the net to give the Saints their first lead of the game, 2-1, with 1:12 remaining.
