The Stanstead College Senior Boys Soccer Spartans wrapped up the first half of their season with a decisive 5-0 home win over the Richmond High School Knights, last Tuesday, October 7. For the first time all season, the weather was rainy, cold and windy, which made for interesting and challenging playing conditions for both teams.
Stanstead got off to a terrific start by playing the ball immediately from the kick-off deep into the Knight’s end of the field, and there the Spartans kept it for the majority of the first half. Our defensive pressure was relentless as our forwards and wingers were coordinated in their movement while they hunted the ball aggressively. This pressure along with slick field conditions meant that opposition passes were played either too quickly or first ball touches went astray and were available for the taking from Spartan players, who were keen to regain the ball and transition into attack mode. This tactic worked perfectly in the 8th minute of play when midfielder Josh L won a loose the ball just outside the Knights’ penalty area, dribbled past two Richmond defenders, and unleashed a fierce shot that left the Richmond goalkeeper rooted to his goal line with no chance for a save. The Spartans have scored some nice goals this season, and this was absolutely one of the top three!
The one-nil lead seemed to deflate Richmond as they sat back and continued to absorb the unrelenting Spartan pressure. Four minutes after scoring his first goal, Josh was at it again, this time benefitting from a well-worked give-and-go play with striker Anton L. Then, three later, striker Liam S intercepted a pass on the right-hand side of the field and accelerated, unchallenged, into the penalty area and finished a high shot past the beleaguered Richmond goalkeeper. Liam has worked tirelessly in the past few games, so it was nice to see him rewarded for his efforts. Despite the rain, wind and cold, Spartan goalie, Grayson L maintained his concentration to make a couple of saves from long-range shots. More impressively, he displayed great composure and decision making by way of excellent first passes out of defence and beginning some impressive Spartan attacks. Halftime score: Stanstead 3 – Richmond 0.
The second half played out much like that of the first frame, with the Spartans keeping very good ball possession and initiating some well-coordinated attacks. Such was the case in the 58th minute when Jacob L, who came on to replace Grayson for the second half, played a short goal kick to central defender Henry R. Henry’s pass into midfield was then relayed into the attacking third of the field where Gabe D bombed toward goal, unchallenged, from the left wing. Looking back on the play, the Knights defenders remained in the centre of the field in order to mark the Spartans forwards rather than come out pressure Gabe. Recognizing this defensive miscue, Gabe continued his run into empty space and smashed a shot into the net for a solid 4-0 Spartans lead. Stanstead rounded out the scoring in minute 63, when Anton left-footed in-swinging freekick, near the goal line, met the perfectly timed run of Liam, who’s wicked volley found the back of the net in the wink of an eye. The quality of both Anton’s pass and Liam’s volley were highlight reel moments, and they brought the Spartans bench, players and coaches, to their feet in adulation for such a nice piece of play. Like Grayson in the first half, goalkeeper Jacob showed great poise and confidence with the ball at his feet. Playing passes left and right to his teammates initiated some wonderful pieces of play. Well done to both teams for playing the game hard but fair and showing great sportsmanship in the process. Final score: Stanstead 5 – Richmond 0.
With this result, the Spartans push their season record to 4 wins and 2 losses, good for 12 points. At the time of writing, it was unknown as to where the Spartans were positioned in the standings, but after defeating Galt and Richmond in both home and away games, Stanstead would be in at least third place and likely challenging for second. Stanstead will complete their season, after the upcoming annual Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS) tournament, with a home game against Massey-Vanier and an away encounter with BCS on the final day of the regular season.
This year’s CAIS tournament will be hosted at Stanstead College, October 16-18. As usual, it will be a fun but very demanding event for our Spartans, as the field of competition is tough, as is the format of two games a day for three days. More information to come – Go Spartans!