PORTLAND — The Kennebunk soccer team faced the prospects of its fourth consecutive draw, but freshman Patrick Gassman knocked in the only goal of the game as the Rams beat Portland 1-0 in double overtime on Thursday.
With 2:33 to go in the second overtime Pip Butterfield sent a throw-in into the box, and as it bounced around Gassman found the ball and let his instincts take over.
“I just thought that I had to finish it, and I did,” said Gassman. “It feels amazing. I can’t even speak right now. It’s just unreal.”
Kennebunk head coach Nathan Bean said of the goal: “A big goal by a freshman in a big moment. Hats off to him.”
The Rams came into the game with a superior record to the Bulldogs, but Portland gave them a fight from the opening whistle. Kennebunk looked like a team that had played three straight overtimes, as they were sluggish on getting to some balls. The Bulldogs dialed up the intensity from the onset, and were looking to play the spoiler to a team with postseason hopes.
The Rams had a couple chances in the first half, including a header from Ryan Keefe that just went over the crossbar 1:30 in. Gassman had a quality chance midway through the half, as he did a nifty spin move and then launched a shot that was punched over the net by Portland goalie Chip Weber.
The Bulldogs almost took a lead into halftime, as they had a free kick from 20 yards out, followed by a corner kick with less than a minute to go, but couldn’t connect on either one.
Kennebunk goalie John Burns had to make a couple key saves early in the second half, with the first one a sliding save just 1:15 in. He also had to double back to knock a ball wide of the net 10 minutes later when he abandoned the goal to try to make a play.
Keefe and Griffin Drigotas each had a couple scoring opportunities late in the second half as the Rams found a rhythm in the offensive end. Keefe sent a cross toward the goal that just missed the head of Jake Lary with two minutes to go, and Drigotas sent a shot from 20 yards out just over the crossbar 30 seconds later.
The Bulldogs nearly pulled the upset on the opening kick of the second overtime. Tim Rovnak took the ball and got a past a couple defenders before being taken down just outside the 18. Rovnak then took the direct kick and sent it just over the crossbar as the Kennebunk bench let out a sigh of relief.
That near-miss set up the late-game heroics for Gassman, who said he was determined not o let the game end in a tie.
“We tied the last three games, and before I went on, I told coach ”˜I don’t want to tie another one,’” said Gassman.
Bean said he was relieved after the game to be going home with a win for the first time in two weeks.
“It’s nice to not be going home with a draw. We’ll take it. We needed that,” said Bean.
—Contact Wil Kramlich at 282-1535, Ext. 323 or follow him on Twitter
@WilTalkSports.
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