Boy's Soccer Beats Lawrence
On Sunday, September 24, the boys’ varsity soccer team left the Academy at the crack of dawn and set out to Groton, Massachusetts. The team beat Lawrence Academy 4-1, claiming their first victory of the season. Playing Lawrence was a fairly easy game and gave the boys some much needed respite.
“Against Lawrence, we continued to play well in the midfield but this time instead of just holding the ball, we were able to move forward and generate more and better goal scoring opportunities.”
For the entirety of the game, as they have done in all prior, the boys displayed their ability to lock down the midfield. The difference between this game and all the rest before, the difference between a win and loss, was in playing “as dangerously as [they] needed to be,” senior and co-captain Jack Baker said. “Against Lawrence, we continued to play well in the midfield but this time instead of just holding the ball, we were able to move forward and generate more and better goal scoring opportunities,” Baker said.
The first goal of the game came from senior and co-captain, striker Dolapo Adedokun, early in the second half with a low-driven ball into the right corner of the goal post.After turning a defender, the goal came easily. Silas Lane, the third co-captain, commented on Adedokun’s goal, describing it as a definite highlight of the game. Scoring first roused the team and started their drive, but Lawrence came back, pressing hard, and scored soon after to tie the game. Baker described it as a “cheap goal.” Exeter quickly bounced back with another goal to keep their lead. They played the second half with almost complete control of the ball, predominantly in the midfield and then later on, scored two more goals to solidify their win.
The fact that it took the team till the second half to score against “an inferior team,” in Lane’s words, emphasizes an issue he and Baker both noticed—the team’s struggle to play as a unit. However, Baker said, “I believe that as we become more accustomed to playing with one another, and more confident in taking chances in the final third, we will continue to score goals and win games, just like what happened here.” Another point of improvement Lane mentioned was the team’s defense. “We can improve on our defensive reactions following restarts, and area that has bothered us in the past,” Lane said.
Baker echoed Lane’s comments and said, “Defensively, we need to make it our priority to keep a clean sheet. Against Milton and Belmont Hill we conceded goals that were a result of lapses of focus and communication.” The team at the very least proved that when they do work together, communicate effectively and play safely out back, they won’t get scored on, make better opportunities for themselves.
Big Red is looking forward to playing New Hampton School this coming saturday. Having lost to them last season, they are going into the game hungry and looking for redemption. With a lot to work on, they will be more than prepared for their rematch.