The U-12 Patriot Boys’ Soccer team took the field against Cumberland, Gorham, Casco Bay (Cape Elizabeth), and Hampden in the Just For Fun Soccer Tournament, this Labor Day Weekend.
The first game, against a very disciplined, highly skilled Cumberland team, was a game of two halves. After Cumberland scored four unanswered goals in the first half of the game, Silas Phillips had a scoring opportunity that just missed the Cumberland net. Following that, a nice move and interception by Noah Lobozzo gave him a scoring opportunity, which just went wide.
These chances seemed to fire up the team, which then pressured the Cumberland defense more aggressively. However, Cumberland did not give up a goal, and won the game 4-0. Despite the score, Justin Curtis showed solid hands in goal, stopping several shots, and Cody Brann was a force to be reckoned with in defense with help from Will Shafer.
Having learned from the first game, the Patriots started off their next game against Gorham more aggressively. Gorham was able to score four quick goals in the opening minutes of the game, but the Patriots never backed down. Ryan Tupper had some good runs up the wing, and later in the game, the defense showed good, solid play. The final score was 4-0 to Gorham. After the initial few minutes, Eli Donovan showed himself to be solid in net.
The third game, against Casco Bay, was marked by good pressure from midfield and the offense, notably Noah Lobozzo, Carter Burrowes, and Silas Phillips. Pierce Stevens and Ryan Tupper had some good runs. Casey Myhaver’s goaltending reached its peak in the last few minutes of the game where he made a great save with four minutes to go. Moments later, he had another save, forcing the ball to the crossbar, which was then put in by Casco Bay on the rebound. The game ended up 5-0 in favor of Casco Bay.
The Patriots’ final game against Hampden saw another spirited effort from the Gray-New Gloucester team. They started strong, with their front line of Casey Myhaver, Noah Lobozzo, and Eli Donovan putting good pressure on the Hampden defense. From a good cross by Justin Curtis, Donovan had a shot that just went wide of the net. Lobozzo showed some strong bursts of speed, and Will Shafer had some good pushes up field, but the Patriots were unable to capitalize on their chances by putting the ball in the net. Another scoring opportunity was missed late in the game after Will Shafer found Eli in front of the net with four minutes to go. Hampden came away with the win 8-0.
Worth mentioning is that despite the scores, the Patriots played with spirit and determination throughout. No one’s head went down at any point in the games, and the team learned fast from each successive game.
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