Boys' Soccer Survives Late Scare, Outplays Bridgton 3-2 in Support the Troops Game Under the Lights

EXETER – After failing to improve their winning streak to five games last Wednesday, boys’ varsity soccer redeemed themselves with a close 3-2 win on Saturday over Bridgton Academy, improving their season record to 9-6-1 only a game away from E/a.Under Saturday night lights, the game scene was hyped up before it even began. Student Council granted The American Culture Club the funds to have a tailgate before the game, which brought out crowds of people to see the squad go up against Bridgton’s team, which is comprised of all postgraduates. Many fans called it the largest crowd seen in years.The first half began with Exeter in an aggressive 4-3-3 formation that they had not Big Red. Upper Ted Hart put the team on the scoreboard in the first half with a chip shot over the Bridgton goalie that curved into the top corner of the net. Two minutes later, lower Devin Moore secured a second goal for Big Red on a one-on-one situation with the goalie.“We do really well when we play in games where we get a quick goal in,” senior co-captain Stewart Scott said. “So against Bridgton, when we got the back-to-back goals, we played really well.”Going into the second half with a two-goal buffer, the Exeter offense continued to play aggressively, and it was not long before lower Trevor Cosgrove rifled off the final and winning goal. After the Bridgton team managed to score a goal, Exeter shifted to a more defensive tactic. Bridgton scored one last goal as everyone began to wind down near the end of the game, but Saturday was not the night for last-minute comebacks.“The excitement of the crowd translated into our performance on the field,” lower Devin Moore said. “The tailgate was a good opportunity for the soccer team to show the school that we’re a high-energy team, and hopefully more people will come support us at E/a after our performance.”Moore, one of the three scorers on the night, was one of many high-profile players against Bridgton. Aside from Moore, Cosgrove and Hart, standout players included upper Sterling Weatherbie, who truly shone with well-placed balls to all the scorers and an explosiveness on the field that far eclipsed the opponent’s efforts. Senior co-captain Henry Stevens also excelled at center back, a position he does not normally play, but filled in marvelously for an injured teammate.“We played one of our best halves of the season, generating multiple scoring opportunities and playing sound defense,” head coach AJ Cosgrove said. “Soccer is a game of momentum, and while we carried it for the first half, the momentum shifted drastically after Bridgeton scored their first goal. I’m very proud of the guys for pulling out the win.”The players and coaches agreed that the tailgate was good for bringing people out to the game, and the presence of fans motivated the players to work their absolute hardest.“It was a huge success,” senior Griffin Py said. “We got a lot of positive feedback from people about how they loved everyone being all together around the grills.”Varsity soccer promises to play a well-matched game against Andover, who is 10-0-5 for the season.“I’ve been looking forward to my first E/a game for a while, especially because my older brother is a senior on the Andover team,” prep Quintin DiStefano said. “It’s going to be a close match, and I can’t wait to play with a bunch of great guys.”Varsity soccer hopes to close the season on a high note on Saturday at 12:30 PM against the Big Blue boys, and while it will be close, the team feels confident that they will be able to come up with the win.“We have definitely grown better as a team and as a whole, the team chemistry has increased, and we know where people have tendencies to go to on the field now,” upper Alex Cantave said. “And that just comes with playing with people for an entire year.”