Boys' Soccer Shutout on Road Trip Despite 2nd Half Rebound

WALLINGFORD, CT - The boys' varsity soccer team went down to Choate on Saturday and came away with an unfortunate 2-0 loss. After an easy 8-0 win against Winchendon last Wednesday, this game was a difficult turn-around for Big Red.Going from the noncompetitive match-up against Winchendon to the high-level intensity shown by Choate proved to be a challenge. Senior goalkeeper Noah Wright commented on what the defense expected from the Choate attack.“We knew they were going to come out hard, so we had to keep things clean in the back and catch them when they got tired in the closing minutes,” Wright said.Choate’s style of play dictated the game for much of the first half by keeping the ball on the ground. Upper Max Rerkpattanapipat reflected in retrospect on what the team should have done in order to keep Choate on their feet.“With teams like that, we have to keep the ball off the ground so they can’t control and play the style that they’re comfortable with. We can use our athleticism to win the ball in the air and use the air game to our advantage and create opportunities for scoring goals,” Rerkpattanapipat said.The first goal of the game was scored when the Choate offense made an attack into the penalty area. A Choate attacker was then fouled and the referee called for a penalty kick. “It was a poor call from the referee,” prep Quintin DiStefano said.Choate converted the penalty kick to make it 1-0. Choate seized the momentum at this point, forcing Exeter to scramble. “After the penalty kick, we became disorganized,” DiStefano said.For some time after the penalty kick, the teams played evenly and the boys were able to get a couple of scoring opportunities. “We created a lot of scoring chances for ourselves, but we weren’t able to convert,” DiStefano said.Play remained even until Choate scored a goal off of a counterattack, while the defense scrambled to get back to defend against the ensuing attack. One attacker took the ball up against two of Big Red’s defenders and finally the keeper before he placed the ball into the back of the net. DiStefano saw this goal as a turning point in the game.“The second goal we conceded fueled us to play harder,” DiStefano said.During halftime, the boys recuperated and came into the second half much stronger.“For the rest of the second half, the defense looked pretty tight,” Wright said.The offensive effort improved a lot as well with the creation of plenty of scoring chances. “In the second half, we had many chances, with one hitting the post and almost going in,” Rerkpattanapipat said.Although the boys took many more shots in the second half, they couldn’t bring the game any closer, with the score ending in a disappointing 2-0 loss.The team is looking to rebound from Saturday’s tough loss this week. They play a home game this Saturday against the New Hampton School, who they beat last year by a score of 3-1.