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- Category: Past Issues
The NECONN boys’ U11 soccer team finally started its spring schedule last week with an away contest against Coventry. In that game, the boys dropped a very hard-fought contest by the score of 4-6.
Coventry wasted no time and scored first just seconds into the game on a low-liner on which goalie Chris Walker was handcuffed. NECONN came right back, though, on the ensuing kickoff when Sam Paul took a lateral feed from Evan Cunningham inside the box and blasted it top shelf. With the game tied after just seconds of play, both teams settled down to play some very competitive soccer.
NECONN kept the pressure on when Cunningham just missed on a pretty, left-footed cross, and then Paul notched his second goal of the game when Ryan Black sent Jack Liggett on a run up the wing. Jack drew a crowd but was able to slide the ball over to Sam for the score.
NECONN would go up 3-1 two minutes later when David Redfield chipped a long ball over the Coventry defense which speedy Ryan Black hustled under and went in alone on the goalie for the score. Despite the two-goal deficit, Coventry found new life when they were able to score on a rebound at about the midway point of the first half. NECONN changed goalies at this point and Walker went into the field and Max Paro stepped into the net. Paro made several great stops in the ensuing minutes, but a close-in blast by a Coventry forward knotted the game at 3-3 and closed out the scoring for the half.
In the second half, Cunningham intercepted the Coventry kickoff play and with a few athletic moves went in alone on the goalie. The Coventry keeper made the initial stop, but Evan scored off the rebound. The 4-3 lead just seconds into the final stanza would prove to be the last for NECONN. Coventry shored up its defense and proceeded to record the next three goals. The tying goal came at the eight minute mark when a Coventry player scored on a highlight reel, top corner blast from about 25 yards out that Paro had no chance on. Then a questionable penalty kick was called against a NECONN defender with nine minutes left in the game. This kick resulted in a Coventry 5-4 lead that they later padded late in the game on a breakaway.
The NECONN defense of Connor Fillmore, Will Liscomb and Cal Wilcox did a great job against a talented Coventry front line, and Elijah Dufour and Tucker Sheehan provided quality minutes at the striker position throughout the afternoon. Next up will be WAM (Willington, Ashford & Mansfield) May 15.