| Hopkinton 2 - Epping 0 Hopkinton goals: 12th minute - Travis Fuglestad 75th minute - Joe Dammann from Matt Demers Saves: Hopkinton - Zach Cousens - 5 saves Epping - Keeler - 8 saves Hopkinton managed to get a victory in their first game against a hard-tackling Epping squad. Epping managed to hang in there after getting scored on early and the victory never felt sealed until the last whistle. For Hopkinton, the lack of movement in the offensive third caused a number of nice crosses to roll harmlessly by an empty net. Despite the victory, it seemed apparent that Hopkinton should have scored at least a couple other goals. Fuglestad scored on a counter-attack when he beat the last Epping defender at the top of the box and then slid the ball by the keeper. Dammann scored off of an aggressive cross from Matt Demers. Hopkinton's defense, which includes three new players in the back four from last year, played solid all night. Sweeper Ben Metcalf shut down a couple strong Epping surges with solid tackles, including one particular slide tackle with 20 minutes to go that was probably one of Epping's best chances on the night. Sophomore Brian Long played well alongside Metcalf at outside back. Brian is a first year varsity player but used his speed and soccer smarts to shut down attackers 1-on-1 all night. |
| Hopkinton
2 - Campbell 0 Hopkinton goals: 18th minute - Travis Fuglestad from Liv Miller 27th minute - Steve Olimpio from Matt Demers Saves: Hopkinton - Zach Cousens - 4 saves Campbell - Corey Gannon - 4 saves Today's game displayed another stellar defensive effort from the Hopkinton back four, comprised of sweeper Ben Metcalf, stopper Dan Forrester, outside back Brian Long and outside back Steve Olimpio or Nick Babson. Campbell is a well coached team that, like always, tackled extremely tough (but not dirty at all). Those back four stayed well organized throughout and really proved to be the stars of the game. In the midfield, Livingston Miller stepped up his game to match the tough Campbell squad. I fully expect Campbell to be in the top 4 to 6 teams entering tournament play and Livingston met them every step of the way physically. His ability to hold the ball in the middle allowed those around him that much more time to make their runs to space. Travis' goal, in fact, came from Liv via a long ball over the defense. Liv's ball was dropped perfectly so that it beat a flat Campbell back line and yet short enough to keep the goalkeeper in the net. Travis' then did a nice job of finishing off the breakaway. Olimpio's goal may well go down, when all is said and done, as one of the nicest goals of the year. Matt Demers took a free kick from just over midfield, near the sideline. He managed to drop a ball at the top of the 6-yard box that Steve ran onto and one-timed into the back of the net, full volley. Hopkinton is now off until next Wednesday, when Conant comes to town. |
| Hopkinton 3 - Conant 0 Hopkinton goals: 19th minute - Joe Dammann from David Wood 54th minute - David Wood unassisted 57th minute - Travis Fuglestad unassisted Saves: Hopkinton - Zach Cousens - 3 saves Conant - Paul Kresge -12 saves We faced a relatively tough playing Conant team tonight and didn't really put the game away until the second half. We came out firing, though, striking 40 shots throughout the course of the game. Travis Kuster played his first varsity minutes, filling in due to injuries, and ran at outside mid without us missing a step from the normal starters. In addition, Will Merrow played very strong outside mid and at striker, using his speed and toughness to stop many Conant counterattacks before the could really begin. Joe's goal came on a through ball from David Wood, after which he just had to beat the keeper. David's goal was a blast taken on a free kick from dead-center at the top of the box. Travis' goal was due to his own hard work, as he beat three defenders on the dribble and then beat the keeper. Hopkinton is now 3-0 and next plays Friday at Raymond. |
| Hopkinton
4 - Raymond 0 Hopkinton goals: 12th minute - Travis Fuglestad unassisted 35th minute - Liv Miller from David Wood 52nd minute - David Wood unassisted 61st minute - Liv Miller unassisted Saves: Hopkinton - Zach Cousens - 5 saves Raymond - Randall Carlson - 5 saves Tonight we faced a tough test in Raymond and managed to come out on top, extending our seasoning opening winning streak to four games. Raymond is a solid team that, at times, put pressure on us. Once again, however, our defense didn't snap. In particular, goalkeeper Zach Cousens made a great stop on a shot from the corner of the 6-yd box midway through the first half. The stop kept the game at 1-0 and allowed us to go up 2-0 when we scored with 6 minutes to play in the half. That goal, coming so near halftime, seemed to deflate a lot of the Raymond pressure and their enthusiastic runs down the outside wings. Fuglestad's goal at 12 minutes came on a blast from the top of the box, dead center. Travis struck the ball just right and it rocketed past a helpless keeper. One of those shots that you know just felt great to Travis. David Wood assisted on the next goal, sending a ball into the box from 40 yds out during the run of play. Liv came on to it and skyed above everyone else to skip the ball up and over the keeper. David's goal and Liv's second goal both came from about 40 yds out. Dave blasted an out-swerving shot while Liv alertly knocked in a chip. Both goals took much precision and game-sense, which those two team captains are full of. Hopkinton is now 4-0 and next plays Tuesday at Hillsboro. |
| Hopkinton 2 - Hillsboro 1 Hopkinton goals: 30th minute - Alfred Grogan from Bennett Williams 64th minute - Joe Dammann unassisted Hillsboro goal: 9th minute - J. Gaskell unassisted Saves: Hopkinton - Zach Cousens - 3 saves Hillsboro - Mitch Philbert - 8 saves Hopkinton notched their 5th win of the season tonight. The Hawks took 34 shots total, 13 of which were on goal. Dan Forrester stepped up from his normal stopper position to take control of the midfield. He tackled hard all night and was a great controlling prescence. Al's goal came on a cross from the baseline by Bennett Williams. Al played a one-time ball neatly into the back of the net. Joe's goal came directly from a cross near the sideline. A scrum in front of the goal by many defenders and attackers allowed the ball to find the back of the net. Hopkinton is now 5-0 and next plays Friday in Hopkinton against Somersworth. |
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Hopkinton
8 - Somersworth 0
Hopkinton goals: 2nd minute - Joe Dammann from Matt Demers 7th minute - Travis Fuglestad unassisted 9th minute - Al Grogan unassisted 11th minute - Dave Wood from Matt Demers 38th Minute - Al Grogan from David Wood 42nd minute - David Brandt unassisted 51st minute - Doug Fuller from Travis Fuglestad 70th minute - Bennett Williams from Matt Demers Saves: Hopkinton - Zach Cousens - 0 saves Somersworth - Laroche - 6 saves Hopkinton bounced back nicely from a too-close-for-comfort game at Hillsboro to overpower an outmanned Somersworth squad that played hard the entire match. The nicest thing about today's game was our ability to score 4 goals in the first 11 minutes. The nicest goal of the game, however, came in the 51st minute when Doug Fuller notched his first varsity points. Doug took a ball with his back to the goal about 12 yds out and turned it around for a volley into the back of the net. David Brandt also scored his first varsity goal on a nice run up the middle of the field. Hopkinton is now 6-0 and next plays Tuesday at Conant. |
| Hopkinton
2 - Conant 0 Hopkinton goals: 24th minute - Joe Dammann from Travis Kuster 62nd minute - Travis Fuglestad unassisted Saves: Hopkinton - Zach Cousens - 0 saves Conant - Paul Kresge - 15 saves We managed to get through a stretch of three must-wins games unscathed (Hillsboro, Somersworth, Conant) with the 2-0 victory in Jaffrey. The win runs our record to 7-0 with only one goal allowed. Our next two opponents, however, are the creme of the crop in class M (Campbell and Sanborn). In a week, we should have a much clearer picture of how the top of the division will shake out. Conant has had a number of games this year in which they hung around longer than they should have, given the personnell they are up against. They are a well coached team that packs into the defense well and I wouldn't be surprised if they get a hard-earned victory against a top team before the season is out. Although they didn't manage any shots on goal today, it did start raining with 20 minutes to go and, in poor conditions, you never know what can happen. We ended up taking 36 shots total, including 18 shots-on-goal. Although it never felt like we were not going to win, it also never felt entirely put away until the final whistle. Joe's ball came on a nice through ball from Travis Kuster. Joe let it run through his legs and then took a few nice touches before pocketing it into the goal, away from the keeper. Travis' goal came on a PK that resulted from Dave Wood being dragged down in the box. The PK was obvious and David would have certainly scored if he had not been brought down from behind. Hopkinton is now 7-0 and next plays Thursday at Hopkinton against Campbell. |
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Hopkinton
2 - Campbell 1
Hopkinton goals: 48th minute - Joe Dammann from Liv Miller 50th minute - Matt Demers from Travis Fuglestad Campbell goal: 13th minute - Ben Doherty from Liam Gannon Saves: Hopkinton - Zach Cousens - 3 saves Campbell - Corey Gannon (?) - 1 save Today was a big win against a very good Campbell squad. We have now beat Campbell twice but they are absolutly one of the best teams in the state. The win sets up a showdown Tuesday against currently unbeaten Sanborn. We came out today and played hard from the opening whistle. We worked hard and put Campbell on their heels, whistling a few shots just wide. Travis Fuglestad, in particular, came out firing. However, none went in. Campbell scored in the 13th minute on a free kick that bounced around, including off of Zach Cousens hands (our goalkeeper). Campbell then turned around and brought the pressure on us until halftime but, luckily, we wheathered the storm. In the second half we came out like gangbusters, eventually knocking in the tying score in the 48th minute on a tough won headball in the box by Liv Miller. The ball bounced around, including off of their keeper, before Joe Dammann knocked it home. Then we learned what killer instinct really means. Just two minutes later Matt Demers was stuck deep in our defensive end when we transitioned to offense quickly. Matt made a very hard working run, 70 yds long, to lose his man mark and receive a ball in stride from Travis Fuglestad. Matt then calmingly composed himself at the 18 and hammered it past the keeper. Hopkinton is now 8-0 and next plays Tuesday at Sanborn. |
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Sanborn
2- Hopkinton 0
Sanborn goals: 34th minute - Rob Palumbo from Steve Palumbo 71st minute - Wade Fenderson unassisted Saves: Hopkinton - Zach Cousens - 4 saves Sanborn AJ Mazalauski- 2 saves Hopkinton suffered its first defeat of the season against undeafeated Sanborn. Both goals came on individual defensive breakdowns. The first goal was straight from a corner when we let the ball fall haphazardly in the 6-yard box. The second goal came after a clear by us when we failed to pull out of the back quickly enough and they countered for a 1v1 breakaway goal. We had a hard time today learning to tackle tough, which was the most effective way to slow down a very controlling Sanborn squad. By the second half we began to stay on our feet and tackle more solidly but we still allowed Sanborn to possess too much. Livingston Miller in the central midfield was the only player who showed up early for us. Liv tackled hard all night and had one of his best games of the season (against our best opponent to date). Offensively, we had our fair share of near misses but just couldn't break through. Matt Demers at outside mid played a very tough and upbeat game that almost resulted in a number of goals off of long runs. Similarly, the trio of Al Grogan, Travis Fuglestad and Joe Dammann all came within inches of goals from their forward spots. Hopkinton is now 8-1 and next plays Thursday at Hopkinton vs. Mascenic. |
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Hopkinton
5 - Mascenic 1
Hopkinton goals: 18th minute - David Wood from Travis Kuster 32nd minute - Travis Fuglestad unassisted 49th minute - Joe Dammann from David Wood 73rd minute - Will Merrow from Doug Fuller 75th minute - David Brandt from Al Grogan Mascenic goal: 39th minute - Jordan Wardwall unassisted Saves: Hopkinton - Zach Cousens - 2 saves Mascenic - Abe Rand - 12 saves Hopkinton turned in a lackluster performance against a much improved Mascenic squad but was still able to come away with the win. After being ahead only 2-1 at half, the troops became inspired during halftime and came out tackling much harder and shooting much more accurately. Doug Fuller had the play of the game when he made a great move to turn and burn his defender and then, unselfishly, handed of to Dave Brandt to knock it in low and hard. Travis Fuglestad's goal was also pretty, as he picked a ball out of the air at the top of the 18 yard box and volleyed into the back of the net. Saturday is homecoming for Hopkinton. The boys' play at 12:30 followed by the girls at 2:30. Hopkinton is now 9-1 and next plays Saturday at home vs. Hillsboro. |
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Hopkinton
4 - Hillsboro 0
Hopkinton goals: 7th minute - Liv Miller from Will Merrow 20 minute - Liv Miller unassisted 51st minute - Will Merrow from david Brandt 57th minute - Al Grogan from David Wood. Saves: Hopkinton - Zach Cousens - 0 saves Hillsboro - Mitch Philbert - 8 saves Hillsboro could get nothing going after Hopkinton started hard and played consistently throughout. Hopkinton had 28 shots (10 on goal) while Hillsboro had no shots. Liv Miller started fast for a second straight game, netting two nice goals. The first came when Will Merrow put a nice ball on the back post from 30 yards out. The second was a well placed shot to the far corner. Merrow's goal was a hard shot from an angle that was in the back of the net before the keeper reacted, while Al's goal came on a rebound off of a free kick. Hopkinton's attack was slowed when the game was stopped for 30 minute midway through the second half because a Hillsboro player had dislocated his elbow. Hopkinton is now 10-1 and next plays Tuesday at home vs. Raymond. |
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Hopkinton
4 - Raymond 1
Hopkinton goals: 32nd minute - Will Merrow from Liv Miller 35th minute - Will Merrow from Travis Fuglestad 68th minute - Will Merrow from Bennett Williams 75th minute - Travis Fuglestad unassisted Raymond goal: 12th minute - Hopkinton own goal Saves: Hopkinton - Zach Cousens - 4 saves Raymond - Randall Carlson - 8 saves Raymond came out from the first whistle fired up (ready to avenge their loss to us earlier in the year) and beat us for the first 23 minutes of play. Unfortunately, we were unable to withstand the initial push without allowing a goal (although they did not score it...). Right at 23 minutes, however, we remembered that we could pass the ball around on the ground and from there on out we took it to them. Will Merrow was obviously the man of the match, as he outworked every player pn the field. His first goal came on a nice loft from the far side that he played down and calmly beat the keeper. His 2nd goal came on following a hard shot from Travis and his hat trick completing goal came when Bennett Williams kept a clear in the box with his face and Will, again calmly, waited for the ball to settle before burying it. Travis' goal was a nice shot that beat the keeper up top. Hopkinton is now 11-1 and next plays Friday @ Newmarket. |
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Hopkinton
1 - Newmarket 0
1 OT Hopkinton goal: 81st minute (80:17)- Travis Fuglestad from David Brandt Saves: Hopkinton - Zach Cousens - 3 saves Newmarket - Josh Felder (??) - 4 saves We faced easily the most underrated team in the state today and were lucky to come away with the win. Newmarket (4-8) has now lost three overtime games this season. They play a very packed in defense but also knock it around offensively very well. The inability of our forwards to get shots, due to the smothering defense, was frustrating all night. Travis' goal came only 17 seconds into the first extra frame. Newmarket kicked off towards the sideline, where David Brandt tackled, and won, the ball. David then played a gourgeous through ball to Travis, who was waiting for it 20 yards out. Travis then turned and blasted a dipping, swerving ball into the side netting from well outside the box. Livingston Miller turned in another stellar performance for us in midefield. Liv rises to big games and tackles extremely hard. It is not often that someone with Livingston's skill can also tackle anyone on the field. Sophomore Brian Long continues to play fantastic defense at his outside back position. Opposing teams always look at Brian as a newcomer to the varsity and try to attack him, only to find that he NEVER gets beat by the dribble. Brian is also one of the fastest guys on the team. The combination of speed and defensive skill put Brian in a small elite class of top-notch defenders in class M. Hopkinton is now 12-1 and next plays Tuesday vs. Sanborn at Hopkinton. |
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Hopkinton
4 - Sanborn 0
Hopkinton goals: 8th minute - Steve Olimpio from David Wood 30th minute - Liv Miller unassisted 46th minute - Travis Fuglestad unassisted 48th minute - Travis Fuglestad unassisted Saves: Hopkinton - Zach Cousens - 3 saves Sanborn - Nick Fogarty (?) - 3 saves Hopkinton came out from the start today hungry to avenge our loss in the matchup at Sanborn. We just about scored in the first 10 seconds when the ball was knocked off the post, off the line and cleared. That first almost goal set the tone for the match and it was just a matter of time until we capitalized. Steve's goal came on a hard-working run from David Wood in the box. David knocked the ball across the net and Steve just volleyed it in. All three of our other goals came off of nice passing in the midfield that set-up open space for Liv and Travis to make great runs. Liv's shot came after he beat two midfielders near the top right corner of the box. He then hit a low, hard shot in to the far-post side netting. Travis' goals firmly established him as one of the best (if not number one) strikers in class M. Both goals came from smart runs across the field to find the space that our passing had created. Both shots were rockets into the back netting. Zach Cousens played solid in goal, including making a diving deflection in the first half that kept us up by two goal at the break. The difference between today's win and the previous loss was our ability to tackle smartly. Today we stayed on our feet and avoided lunging at the ball. The result was a disrupted Sanborn offensive that couldn't find their rythym all day. Dan Forrester at sweeper and Nick Babson at stopper set the tone and led the stellar defensive effort. Hopkinton is now 13-1 and next plays Monday @ Mascenic. |
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Hopkinton
3 - Mascenic 0
Hopkinton goals: 35th minute - Steve Olimpio from Travis Fuglestad 58th minute - Travis Fuglestad from David Wood 69th minute - Livingston Miller unassisted Saves: Hopkinton - Zach Cousens - 0 saves Mascenic - Robert Guchard - 7 saves Today's game had a very sluggish start to it for us and a very fast start by Mascenic. Whether it was the effects of coming of the big win over Sanborn or the fact that the game got moved to a 4:30 start at 3:55, we just couldn't get our heads in the match at the beginning. To Mascenic's credit, however, they came out hungry and knocked the ball around well in their half of the field. After about 20 minutes, however, our skill took over and Hopkinton players started tackling hard and passing on the ground. Steve Olimpio's goal was a finish of a cross from Travis Fuglestad, in traffic. Travis' goal came off of a quick pass back from David Wood, while Livingston's was off of a PK. Overall for Hopkinton, Nick Babson had a good game off the bench at stopper. He came in and took control of the game before it got to the half at 0-0, which I'm sure would have fired up the Mascenic players. The win sets up a showdown Wednesday against #1 (& undeafeted) Gilford. The winner of Wednesday's match is seeded #1 while the loser is seeded #2 going into the playoffs. Hopkinton is now 14-1 and next plays Wednesday at Gilford. |
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Hopkinton
1 - Gilford 4
Hopkinton goal: 9th minute - Steve Olimpio from Matt Demers Gilford goals: 4th minute - E. Lewis unassisted 14th minute - Petrozzi unassisted 35th minute - Lewis from Petrozzi 62nd minute - Petrozzi unassisted Saves: Hopkinton - Zach Cousens - 5 saves Gilford - Feehily - 6 saves Today, Gilford simply showed up more ready to play. After 15 of our 16 games have been against tournament opponents, it is tough to get ready mentally for every game. Add to that the fact that we knew we had a top two seed clinched and you have a very flat (mentally) Hopkinton squad for the first 20 minutes of the game. The first Gilford goal came from a mess in the box that not one Hawk player decided they wanted to step into and clear the ball. The second goal came directly from a free kick 20 yds out to the right side. The free kick flew untouched into our net. During the second half we controlled play for much of the time. Dave Wood put a cross from a free kick off of the crossbar and Travis Fuglestad had a few knocks go just wide or over. Our lone goal came when Matt Demers crossed the ball in hard and the Gilford keeper dropped it, which Steve knocked in. Nate Mosseau played the best of all Hopkinton players. He tackled hard and challenged all night long from his outside back position. Hopkinton finishes the regular season 14-2 and will enter the tournament as the #2 seed. |
| Playoffs |
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Class M tournament
preliminary round
Hopkinton
3 - Hillsboro 0
Hopkinton goals: 27th minute - Travis Fuglestad from David Wood 46th minute - Al Grogan from Travis Fuglestad 78th minute - Matt Demers unassisted Saves: Hopkinton - Zach Cousens - 2 saves Hillsboro - Mitch Philbert - 7 saves We managed a solid victory today against a Hillsboro team that views every game against Hopkinton like it is the superbowl. All we were looking to do today was win and we did that in convincing fashion. Cousen's two saves included a penalty shot save in the 2nd half, but that was the only real threat Hillsboro had all night. Travis Fuglestad played another great game up top for us, as he scored the 1st goal and banged at least two others off the uprights. His goal came on through pass from David Wood. Travis received the pass and danced past a defender before finishing past the goalkeeper. Grogan's goals came on a pass from Fuglestad into the box that all took and knocked a nifty bouncing shot low and hard past the keeper. Demers' goal came directly from a corner. He noticed the keeper was lined up too far back and was able to bend it near post before Philbert could cover. Hopkinton finished the regular season 14-2 and is the #2 seed in the tournament. Our next game is on Sunday at 1:30 in Hopkinton against the winner of Epping/Raymond. |
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Class M tournament
quarterfinal round
Hopkinton
3 - Epping 0
Hopkinton goals: 11th minute - David Wood from David Brandt 62nd minute - Travis Fuglestad from Steve Olimpio 78th minute - Al Grogan from Will Merrow Saves: Hopkinton - Zach Cousens - 3 saves Epping - Sam Keeler - 6 saves Hopkinton pulled together a great effort in tough wheather conditions today to clinch a berth to the semi-finals. Epping is a solid team that is much better than their #10 seed lets on. Before today, they had won 7 of their last 8 games and all season had only lost to very tough teams (Sanborn, Campbell, Newmarket & us). The win tonight was a solid team effort, the likes of which had been lacking since our win over Sanborn four games ago. The player of the night for us, although not on the scoring sheet, was forward David Brandt. David is a solidly built blazing-fast player who gave Epping fits all game. The probably beat Epping defenders around the corner and went at goal 6 times throughout the game. Having David playing like he did tonight is a bit like Dimaggio batting behind Mantle - Travis Fuglestad is one of the best forwards in the state, so who do you concentrate on if Brandt is ripping you up? The first goal came in the 11th minute, following a bunch of near misses in the opening 10. Brandt played a ball across the top of the 18 to the right-corner, where Wood collected a blasted a shot into the side netting. In the 62nd minute, Olimpio knocked a ball across the goal mouth that Fuglestad simply had to touch in. Finally, in the 78th minute, Will Merrow worked like a dog to save a long ball before it went out over the endline. As Will slid, he knocked the ball across the goal mouth, where Al Grogan knocked the ball in. Zach Cousens played a good game in goal for us, dealing with many tough high-balls in the gale force winds. He also had a superb stop on a sure goal for Epping midway through the 2nd half. There was a big scrum of players on the six yard line and Zach waded in to the middle of it to stop a shot from an Epping player before it had a chance to get near the goal. Hopkinton is now 16-2 and is the #2 seed in the tournament. Our next game is in the semi-finals on Thursday at Merrimack Valley against the winner of Campbell/Sanborn. |
| Class M tournament
semi-final round Hopkinton 1 - Campbell 0 Hopkinton goals: 88th minute - Matt Demers from Travis Fuglestad Saves: Hopkinton - Zach Cousens - 3 saves Campbell - Corey Gannon - 10 saves Today was a great semi-final match against two evenly matched teams. The sudden-death golden goal came in the 8th minute of overtime. David Brandt turned the corner down the left side and crossed the ball into the box. Travis Fuglestad flicked the ball on to the far post, where Matt Demers nudged the ball off of the backpost and in. Livingston Miller tackled hard all night at his offensive central midfielder position. Liv ran a great show and directed the team as only a senior captain can. David Brandt had a second straight solid game up top, with his aggressive runs creating space in the middle all night. Defensively, full backs Brian Long, Ben Metcalf and Nate Mosseau all had big tackles on the night that clearly stopped breakaway chances. In goal, Zach Cousens came out strong off of his line numerous times tonight to take control of the air and quell possible goal scoring opportunities. Hopkinton is now 17-2 and is the #2 seed in the tournament. Our next game is in the championship on Sunday at Merrimack Valley against #1 seed Gilford. |
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Class M tournament
championship
Hopkinton
1 - Gilford 1
Hopkinton goal: 43rd minute - Travis Fuglestad unassisted Gilford goal: 26th minute - Eric Lewis unassisted Saves: Hopkinton - Zach Cousens - 7 saves Gilford - DJ Feehily - 2 saves Today's game was an epic showdown that ended the only way that seemed fitting - in a tie. After 80 minutes of regulation and 40 minutes of golden goal overtime, the game ended tied 1-1. The game will be replayed, in its entirety, on Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Merrimack Valley High School. Zach Cousens played outstanding all game in goal for us. Gilford tried to beat us with long throw-ins all night and Zach laid down the hammer and took control. He earned man-of-the-match honors from me, however, for one save in particular. With about two minutes to go in the second overtime, one of the Gilford kids hit a long shot that seemed destined for upper 90. Zach, however, went totally horizontal and backwards to tip the ball just up into the crossbar. It was probably the best save a keeper I was coaching has ever made and it is that much better because of the game and time it came at. On defense for Hopkinton, Kim Long shutdown countless Gilford rushed all night. He simply refused to get beat by the dribble. Dan Forrester, at stopper, also had a huge game. He seemed to get stronger as the game progressed and cleared ball after ball. The Gilford goal trickled over the line after a scrum in the box. Travis' goal came on a PK after he got taken down from behind as he progressed to the keeper on a breakaway situation. Hopkinton is 17-2 and is the #2 seed in the tournament. Our next game is in the championship on Wednesday at Merrimack Valley against #1 seed Gilford. |
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Class M tournament
championship
Hopkinton
3 - Gilford 2
Hopkinton goals: 46th minute - Joe Dammann from David Wood 77th minute - David Wood unassisted 85th minute - Joe Dammann from Matt Demers Gilford goals: 25th minute - Christian Bua unassisted 76th minute - Chip Veazey from Phil Petrozzi Saves: Hopkinton - Zach Cousens - 5 saves Gilford - DJ Feehily - 4 saves After the first 120 minutes of the championship game, you would have been hard-pressed to find anyone who would claim that the replay would be just as good a game. Tonight's game, however, was simply fantastic play by both teams. The game flowed a lot more than the first game and there was certainly more drama. After being tied at 1-1 for most of the second half, the game felt as though it was headed into overtime. Gilford scored with just 3 minutes to remain in regulation, however, and was apparently on their way to another state championship. David Wood decided he wanted none of that, however, and came out blasting. David hit a perfect shot, upper 90, from 40 yards out to tie game about a minute after the Gilford goal. In overtime, Hopkinton controlled possesion as Gilford was still in a haze from David's equalizer in regulation. Finally, a Hopkinton corner kick sailed over the crowd in front of the net. Matt Demers collected the ball and knocked it back over. Joe Dammann put a head to the cross and knocked the ball into the back of the net. The championship is the first Hopkinton boys' soccer championship in 22 years. Hopkinton entered the tournament as the number two seed and defeated, in order, Hillsboro, Epping, Campbell and Gilford. Hopkinton's final record stands at 18-2-1. Throughout the season, Hopkinton scored 58 goals and allowed 13 against. I do not have any additional Gilford information. |
| Class M tournament
championship Hopkinton 3 - Gilford 2 Hopkinton goals: 46th minute - Joe Dammann from David Wood 77th minute - David Wood unassisted 85th minute - Joe Dammann from Matt Demers Gilford goals: 25th minute - Christian Bua unassisted 76th minute - Chip Veazey from Phil Petrozzi Saves: Hopkinton - Zach Cousens - 5 saves Gilford - DJ Feehily - 4 saves After the first 120 minutes of the championship game, you would have been hard-pressed to find anyone who would claim that the replay would be just as good a game. Tonight's game, however, was simply fantastic play by both teams. The game flowed a lot more than the first game and there was certainly more drama. After being tied at 1-1 for most of the second half, the game felt as though it was headed into overtime. Gilford scored with just 3 minutes to remain in regulation, however, and was apparently on their way to another state championship. David Wood decided he wanted none of that, however, and came out blasting. David hit a perfect shot, upper 90, from 40 yards out to tie game about a minute after the Gilford goal. In overtime, Hopkinton controlled possesion as Gilford was still in a haze from David's equalizer in regulation. Finally, a Hopkinton corner kick sailed over the crowd in front of the net. Matt Demers collected the ball and knocked it back over. Joe Dammann put a head to the cross and knocked the ball into the back of the net. The championship is the first Hopkinton boys' soccer championship in 22 years. Hopkinton entered the tournament as the number two seed and defeated, in order, Hillsboro, Epping, Campbell and Gilford. Hopkinton's final record stands at 18-2-1. Throughout the season, Hopkinton scored 58 goals and allowed 13 against. |