Both Conant and Wilton-Lyndeborough came into Tuesday’s girls’ soccer matchup in similar circumstances, with new head coaches and short benches on either side. And while the two teams looked evenly matched to start the contest, the Orioles flashed some brilliance in the second half to pull away for a 5-1 win.
“We had no energy to start the game,” said Conant’s first-year head coach Devon Spirka. “I think we just needed to start playing our game. We were not playing our game to start. People were just getting out of position and then that left big holes, especially in the midfield.”
WLC’s eighth-grade forward Lexi Bausha took advantage of one of those holes in the 9th minute, taking a Cailin Swett pass in the midfield and then slashing through a full Conant defensive breakdown to face off one-on-one with Oriole keeper Kelly Williams, who was left on an island and had to watch Bausha’s shot sail past.
Conant’s Jordan Morace came right back shortly thereafter, sending a boomerang from the left side of the goal that hooked back in high on the right side, unassailable for WLC’s makeshift goalkeeper-for-the-day Kelsey Crouse, who’d been called into goalie service just the day before.
The game was tied at one apiece at the half, but Conant figured it out in the second, where freshman forward Riley Vitello kept up her hot start to the season by scoring her third and fourth goals of the season in quick succession as the Oriole offense started to click.
“We definitely started making some better passes,” Vitello said.
After a frustrating start with several missed shots on good looks, co-captain Irelynd Aucoin finally got in on the fun as well, cashing in twice to create the 5-1 final.
The Orioles are now 1-0-1 on the year and showing promise. Behind that stellar front line of Aucoin and Vitello, co-captains Izzy Rollins and Kim Chea have the midfield and defensive end locked down, and Spirka said she has a few more girls ready to break out and start scoring some goals of their own. After missing the playoffs last year and entering this season with less than a handful of substitutes, Spirka’s Orioles have already overcome enough adversity to make them battle-tested.
“They just don’t realize how much they’ve already worked through,” Spirka said, “and that’s just going to carry them further than I think they realize. I love watching them come together when it’s a tough time. If we’re flat or if we get a goal scored on us, just seeing them come together – that’s hard to do when things are down. So I think as a group, they’ve just done a great job at maintaining the end goal and not getting caught up in what just happened or the one bad play or whatever.”
WLC, too, is patched together; new head coach Mike Naso likened the upcoming season to circumnavigating the globe in an outrigger, but he’s confident the Warriors will complete the journey.
Naso summed up his team after the game:“Tenacious, intelligent, resilient.” That’s exemplified by senior leader Bri Fish, who can play anything from back to midfield to forward and even finished Tuesday’s game in net.
“Great leadership, great technical ability, but we’re just getting some younger players threaded into the continuity of what we’re doing as a revamped program,” Naso said. “We’re not just making up numbers. What we’re trying to do is bring a better style of football to the area. “It’s tough with the numbers, but we’re not short on effort and heart.”
WLC (0-1) hosts Mount Royal Thursday at 6 p.m.
Conant (1-0-1) is at The Derryfield School Friday at 4 p.m.
Keene 5, ConVal 4
Sophomore Ally Burgess scored four goals for ConVal Tuesday afternoon but the Cougars couldn’t take down Division II’s newest member, Keene.
First-year head coach Derek Sorbello, ConVal’s longtime girls’ lacrosse coach who took over the soccer team this fall, said it was a back-and-forth, physical game.
ConVal (0-1) is home against Lebanon Friday.
Mascenic 4, Holy Family 0
Dylan Barthel scored twice for the Vikings as Mascenic won their first game under new head coach Joseph Hileman Monday afternoon.
“We have some things to work on,” Hileman said, “and the team is primarily comprised of sophomores but our camaraderie paired with our level of skill and senior leaders should suit us very well this season!”
Hunter Thompson and Gabe Hileman each scored for Mascenic as well.
Mascenic is in their first season after dropping down to Division IV. The Vikings (1-0) host Newmarket Friday.
ConVal 5, Laconia 1
Garrett Rousseau put in a hat-trick at Laconia Tuesday to help ConVal win their first game of the season and their first game under “new” head coach Scott Daniels, who returned to the Cougars this year after coaching ConVal in 2013 and 2014. Jake Daniels added a goal and an assist; Sean Cattigan also scored, and Caden Peck, Ryan Close and Ethan Kinney all chipped in with assists. Wyatt Beaulieu got the win in net.
ConVal (1-0) is at Lebanon Friday.
Conant 6, WLC 2
Regional rivals Conant and Wilton-Lyndeborough squared off to open their seasons in Wilton Tuesday night, with Conant coming out on top in a big way thanks to four goals from co-captain Joshua Dipasquale.
The Orioles graduated seven strong players from last year’s playoff team, and Conant head coach Tom Harvey had one bit of advice for them pre-game “Go and play, have fun and let the game come to you.”
Senior captain Jacob Sawyer netted the first goal of the year 18 minutes in, stealing the ball from WLC’s defense and putting it in all alone past Wilton keeper Ben Jacob.
“Ben Jacob had a great game,” WLC coach Dan Nelson said afterward. “The score didn’t show it. A lot of unbelievable stops.”
Co-captains Thomas Harvey and DiPasquale both scored in rapid sucession before the half, and then Wilton’s Alex nelson scored from distance and closed the gap as Conant went into the break up 3-1.
Sawyer fed Dipasquale for another goal to start the second half before WLC’s Kenny Begley pushed through the defensive line and scored a second Wilton goal.
“Our boys got crossed up,” coach Harvey said, “and you can’t do that with Kenny – he is a great striker.” Dipasquale collected his third and fourth goal of the game at the 51st and 70th minutes, with assists from Thomas Harvey and Manny Hodgson. for a final score of 6-2.
“This was a great first game and it’s not easy to come here and win a game,” coach Harvey said. “I am happy for the boys, but there are lots of things to work on.”
WLC has plenty to work on as well after graduating the bulk of their offense and their defensive anchor.
“The boys did well,” coach Nelson said. “We just got tired. Out of shape. I’m excited to get another game under us.”
WLC (0-1) hosts Hinsdale Tuesday at 6 p.m. Conant (1-0) hosts The Derryfield School Thursday at 4 p.m.
Conant wins on the road
The Orioles scored a 69 to beat host Gilford (59), Littleton (42) and Sunapee (36) on Monday.
Jordan Ketola shot a 42; Marcus Somero, Draven Seppala, Grant Ketola and Braeden Dion all shot 47s, and Montana Niemela shot a 50.
Mascenic, Hakala win again
Josiah Hakala took medalist yet again Monday as Mascenic scored a 64 to beat host White Mountains (54), Fall Mountain (48) and Prospect Mountain (42).
Hakala scored 28 points, shooting a -1.
Mascenic is home Thursday at 3:30 p.m. at the Shattuck.
Mascenic 5, Hopkinton 0
The Vikings hosted defending champion Hopkinton Tuesday and shut out the visiting Hawks.
“It was good to start off with a win,” said Mascenic head coach Selena Shaw.
Lexis Vautour scored twice; Lexi Caron, Millie McLain and Jade Traffie had one each. McClain, Maddie Damery, Leah St. John, Ava Johnson and Angelina McCabe had the assists. Emma Cargill was in the goal for the shutout with two saves on the day.
Mascenic (1-0) is at Monadnock Tuesday.
Pelham 1, ConVal 0
ConVal played a close contest at Pelham Monday but couldn’t score as the Pythons squeaked out the narrow 1-0 win.
“[ConVal]came out strong, and a majority of the game was back and forth play in the midfield,” said Cougar head coach Kelly Shirk.
Seniors Laramie Wilson, Makennah McPherson, Abbey Shumway, Allie Hodgen and junior Lucy Jackson all got shots on goal, but Pelham outshot them 10-5 and snuck one in past senior keeper Lydia Cleveland, who made eight saves.
ConVal (0-1) is home against Kingswood Thursday at 7 p.m. and hosts Oyster River Friday at 4:30.
Cougars, Orioles at Jamie Martin race
Conant and ConVal competed at Sanborn’s Jamie Martin Invitational race on Tuesday, where Conant senior Kylie Aho and the rest of the Oriole girls looked ready for a big season. The Orioles won the girls’ race; Aho finished third in 21:19, behind only Newmarket’s Alana Hagen (20:04) and Kearsarge’s Molly Ellison (20:55).
The Orioles showed off their depth, placing four straight in the top 10 behind Aho, as Amber Gnoza, Bella Nero, Amelia Hill and Neve Mormando went 6-7-8-9 to propel Conant to victory.
The majority of Conant’s boys’ team is splitting time with soccer this season, and so the Orioles were undergunned and unable to score as a team on Tuesday as many of their athletes were on the pitch in Wilton. Nathan Alajajian is primed for a good season, though, and looked good Tuesday, finishing ninth of 135 racers in 18:31. Jon Ciglar also finished 29th in 19:55.
ConVal’s boys finished eighth as a team, with captain Jamie Post the team’s top runner, taking 16th in 18:54. Nathan Klonel (51st), Nathaniel Mao (69th), Mason Deschenes (71st) and Jake Alonso (91st) rounded out the top five ConVal boys.
The girls team was led by captain Makenna Proctor, who finished with a time of 29:42, placing her 47th overall. Whitney Adiar (65th), Sara Mackie (66th), and Sarah Brace (68th) finished within a spot or two of one another and rounded out the roster.
Conant is at Mascenic Friday; ConVal is at Hollis-Brookline Saturday.