Boys’ Soccer Commands Second Half

This past Saturday, Big Red boys’ soccer defeated Tabor Academy 2-1. As of yesterday, the team stands ninth in the preparatory high school league, guarding its spot on the top ten list.Although the team added another victory to the team’s record through the game against Tabor, head coach AJ Cosgrove said that the team could have performed with more focus and defensive intensity.“We didn't play well,” Cosgrove said. “The field is lousy and was a problem for both teams. Our biggest struggle was our collective lack of defensive intensity. We can't expect to win games if we don't defend on set pieces. I was disappointed in the team and with a couple of individuals in particular.”However, Cosgrove added that the team improved its performance in the second half with two goals, which allowed Exeter to lead the game until the final whistle.“After a poor first half, we came out and played a good second half, scoring two quick goals to set the tone,” Cosgrove said. “The highlight was [senior and co-captain] Ted Hart taking it to the corner, passing to [upper] Devin Moore who assisted [senior and co-captain] Sterling Weatherbie, who finished nicely.”Hart agreed with Cosgrove and noted that Weatherbie inspired the other team members to pressure Tabor harder during the second half.“We started the game off slow, and most of the team struggled to play with any passion, so Tabor was able to keep the game tied going into the half,” Hart said. “However, Sterling Weatherbie was able to motivate us for the second, and we were able to get two quick goals.”Lower Quintin DiStefano echoed Hart’s sentiments.“The most important part of the game was Sterling's first goal,” DiStefano said. “It got us off on the right foot for the second half and set the tempo.”Hart said that the 1-6 loss against Berkshire Academy caused the players to believe that Tabor would be an easy opponent, which turned out to be an incorrect expectation. “After playing a team as good as Berkshire on Wednesday, we underestimated Tabor and thought all we needed to do to win was show up,” he said. “We learned that every game in this league is a battle, and we need to prepare as if every game is just as important as the last.”Senior Max Rerkpattanapipat said that the team will apply its maximum effort to win the last three games in order to participate in the league tournament.“We just got to make sure we keep up the high intensity throughout every game, and we should be good,” Rerkpattanapipat said. “We have a very talented team with a lot of athleticism. Right now, we're focusing on winning out our last three games and securing a good spot in the tournament.”DiStefano shared a similar opinion. “While it is a few weeks away, playoffs are becoming more and more of a possibility as we continue to win,” he said.Cosgrove agreed with the athletes and said that the team will prepare each game with everyone’s mind set on the victory. He also added that the team will try to defeat Andover’s varsity squad and redeem itself from last year’s loss during the Exeter/Andover games.“We are looking forward to the game against Andover,” he said.