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It was some kind of emotional week for the Putnam Science Academy soccer team.
After suffering a loss Wednesday in a game the Mustangs felt they deserved to win and left a handful of players in tears, they bounced back Saturday with a victory to right the ship.
Oct. 15 Bereket Hadgu scored his first goal since arriving at PSA just two weeks ago, sparking the Mustangs to a 4-2 win over St. Thomas More. After Uriel Dalapo got PSA (6-3-1) on the board with his sixth goal of the season, Hadgu came in off the bench and put the team ahead 2-1 at the half with a goal inside the 6 on the second touch off a free kick from Tomás Melon.
“I’ve only been here for two weeks and haven’t had many practices with the boys, so I want to thank coach Ryan for trusting me to play this game,” Hadgu said. “I’m not completely familiar with the tactics, but when I was on the bench I saw that the boys were having a hard time unlocking the final ball to the strikers, so when I came in my job was trying to make it click, and to help the defense.”
Fran Cuñat and Marcos Chantada added second-half scores in the win.
Dalapo and Cuñat both scored in Wednesday’s game, a 4-2 loss to Hoosac. PSA entered the game in second place in the league, trailing Hoosac. And the Mustangs believed they should have knocked them off, as two non-calls that could have/should have gone PSA’s way directly led to Hoosac goals and changed the momentum of the game.
Cuñat’s goal four minutes into the second half gave PSA a 2-1 lead, a cushion they held onto for another 30 minutes or so. That’s when PSA keeper Marcos Ruiz appeared to have control of the ball when a Hoosac player collided violently with him, jarring the ball loose. No foul was called, and with Ruiz on the ground, Hoosac got to the ball first and scored the equalizer.
The real heartbreak came with just 90 seconds left to play. Jai Jai Thamasonglar appeared to be taken down on the far side of the field, but again there was no call from the official. Seconds later, Hoosac scored to take a 3-2 lead. They tacked on another one in the final minute.
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
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