WESTBROOK – It’s been a tough season so far for the Westbrook boys soccer team.
But, hopefully, things will start to turn around now that the Blazes (1-4-1) have finally broken into the win column with a solid 4-2 victory over Sanford (0-5) in Westbrook on Sept. 19.
And while the Blazes’ rough start has certainly put them in a hole, there is still time for Westbrook to reverse the slide and slip into a playoff berth. In fact, according to the latest Heal Point standings, the Blue Blazes are currently in 13th place in Class A West, just one spot out of the final playoff berth, which is held by 12th place Deering (3-3).
Against the Redskins on Monday afternoon, Westbrook drew first blood as the Blazes sought to control the pace of the game right from the outset. With 21:20 left to go in the first half, the effort finally paid off as Joe Quinlan took a shot from inside the box that was turned away by Sanford goalkeeper Jimmy Parks. However, Parks didn’t tie up the ball and the rebound went right out to Westbrook’s Conner Richardson, who drove it home to put the Blazes on top 1-0.
Sanford tied things up at 1-1 with 8:40 to go before the halftime break. The Redskins’ Connor McGhee beat Blazes’ keeper Austin Watts with a high shot for the score.
It seemed that the score would remain tied at the half, but the Blazes’ Kyle Gaudreau had other ideas. With time running out, Gaudreau broke through the Redskin defense and booted a low shot past a diving Parks with just seven seconds to go to give the Blazes a 2-1 lead and a vital momentum boost going into the second half.
During the break, Westbrook interim coach John Morgan told his team that it had only won the first half of the game, and that the team had to concentrate on coming out ahead in the second 40 minutes if they wanted to get their first win. “I told them at halftime, ‘we won the first half, 2-1′, and we ended up winning the second half, 2-1,” Morgan said. “That’s what we’re doing, taking it one half at a time.”
In fact, Westbrook continued to build on the momentum from Gaudreau’s late first-half goal as the Blazes took a 3-1 lead just 1:49 into the second half. Gaudreau found Quinlan with a pass down close and Quinlan put the shot home to boost the Blazes’ lead.
Sanford cut back into the lead just about two minutes later on a shot from Gabe Zimmer that snuck just inside the post to make it 3-2.
But with 12:14 left in regulation, the Blazes got a huge insurance goal off a corner kick. With the ball bouncing loose in front, Quinlan came flying in and made a nice header to score his second goal of the game to make it 4-2.
As they try and turn their season around, the Blazes have some tough games on their upcoming schedule. On Sept. 22, Westbrook will be hosting No. 3 Portland (3-1), and Morgan said he hopes the win against the Redskins will give the Blazes confidence going into a game against a team he deemed one of the best in the conference. “We’re hoping to carry this momentum into playing them at home,” he said.
Following the game with the Bulldogs, the Blazes will host No. 15 Bonny Eagle (1-3) at 6 p.m. before traveling to No. 8 Cheverus (4-1) on Sept. 29 at 4 p.m. As the calendar turns to October, the games won’t get any easier for Westbrook as the Blazes will be hosting No. 6 Windham (4-2) on Oct. 4 and traveling to No. 10 Thornton Academy (3-2-1) on Oct. 6.
Morgan said he thinks the team, which has been through a number of changes so far this season, will be able to focus on the upcoming games. “The kids have been great,” Morgan said. “They’ve had a lot thrown at them and they’ve handled it well. We hope this (win over Sanford) kicks off some things. Hopefully we can keep this momentum
Westbrook’s Kyle Gaudreau leaps in the air and cranes his neck
Comments are no longer available on this story