BRUNSWICK

The Brunswick High School boys soccer team held on to one message all season long, and that was to “not lose again” after dropping its first two contests of the season. That attitude propelled the Dragons to a 10-2-2 regular season record and the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Class A Heal Point Standings.

In the opening round of the playoffs for Brunswick (11-2-2), the Dragons hosted the No. 7 Messalonskee Eagles (5-8-2) on Tuesday for a quarterfinal match-up which ended in the Dragons favor, 3-0.

On paper it appeared that the Dragons outplayed the Eagles, as they ended the game with a 16-5 shot advantage. But, Messalonskee made them work.

“They’re a good team and they’re here for a reason,” Dragons coach Mark Roma said of his team’s opponent. “I looked back over the tape from the earlier game and the final score of that game (5- 0) doesn’t represent games like this one. They were in it until the end and we were in for a fight. We’re just happy to be able to keep playing.”

Welzel attack

It was only a matter of time before the Dragons found the back of the net as the offense put together six quality scoring chances before a seventh that resulted in a goal. The first came only 1:12 into the game when Brunswick defender Reed Foster took a free kick from the back field and drove it to the Messalonskee 18-yard line, finding JD Souza, whose one-touch shot soared just over the crossbar. Keenan Welzel had an opportunity to put one in from 15-yards out just one minute later, but his shot traveled across the goalmouth and out of play.

However, with 17:55 left in the half, Welzel beat the Eagles defense and goalie Jonah Webb and put a shot on net, but Messalonskee defender Taylor Turner stepped up and put it out of harm’s way.

It appeared that the Eagles were going to transition, but on Turner’s clearing attempt, the ball spun back to Webb, who gathered it with his hands, resulting in an infraction due to illegal touching. After little discussion, the Dragons were awarded an indirect kick inside the 18. Cole Faulkner pushed the ball off to Welzel who rattled the cage to put Brunswick up 1-0.

The Dragons were held off by the Eagles’ defense the remainder of the half, but the second half they went back to work. With 28:29 on the clock, Welzel took a shot in the box at point-blank range that went off of Webb, but Welzel stuck with the rebound and buried the ball in the left pocket for a 2-0 advantage.

“We needed to find a way to get that second goal,” Roma said. “I told them that the second goal, whoever scores it, is going to win the game.”

With Messalonskee evening out the playing field and putting some control back on its side, the Dragons had to work harder for their shots. After a battle with the Eagles defense, Brunswick forward Jesse Arford pushed past a diving Webb and saw a wide-open net. With a shot toward the cage, everyone on the sidelines and on the field had the Dragons up 3-0 locked in, but Eagles defender Cole Smith blasted it out from right on the goal line before it had a chance to go in.

Brunswick found the back of the net one more time with 9:03 remaining when Cam Glover touched a pass to Marcos Martinez, who shot it off a Messalonskee defender on the goal line and into the net for the dagger in the backs of the Eagles, eventually sending the Dragons on to the semifinal round.

“The team right now is stronger,” Dragons senior Pedro Zenklusen said after the game. “After those first two games that we lost, we promised ourselves that we wouldn’t lose again.”

“We wanted to keep that promise,” Martinez said of Zen- klusen’s statement. “And just work hard for the next game.”

“(Messalonskee) is a good team,” Zenklusen said. “Every team that’s in the playoffs are, they’re here for a reason.

“They had a lot of chances but just couldn’t make them happen.”

Now that playoffs have arrived, each game turns into a must-win and Roma says there can’t be any missteps from here on.

“We need to keep the intensity up,” he said. “We need to play a little bit better than we did today if we’re going to get past the next game because the games just get harder and the opponents get tougher and there’s more on the line.

“Whatever you thought your brought before you have to take it to the next level.”

Brunswick will host No. 3 Hampden Academy this upcoming weekend.

Due to incoming weather on Saturday, a final call as to if the game will be played on Friday or Saturday will be made this afternoon.

Brunswick 3,
Messalonskee 0

at Brunswick High School
Messalonskee — 0 0 — 0
Brunswick — 1 2 — 3
Goals — Keenan Welzel 2, Marcos
Martinez.
Assists — Cole Faulkner, Cam Glover.
Shots — Brunswick 16, Messalonskee 5.
Saves — (B) Josh Dorr 2, (M) Jonah
Webb 5.
Corner kicks — Brunswick 3, Messalonskee 3.
Records — Brunswick 11-2-2; Messalonskee 5-8-2.
Up next for Brunswick — Semifinals
vs. No. 3 Hampden Academy, TBA.