Fall 2005 Week 2 (9-18)

HAMLETS WIN FOUR AT HOME
On a perfect day for soccer-warm but cloudy- the Fuller Hamlets Soccer Club hosted a full complement of 6 games at the Bowden Fields, Central Turnpike, Sutton. The Hamlets Under 12 Girls, the State Cup semifinalists in 2005, hosted NOVA from Southeastern Massachusetts (Attleborough-Rehoboth area). Starting slowly both teams had an uneventful first half, although the Hamlets went close when Charlotte Meyers headed just over the bar on a corner by Hannah Owen. The second half was a different story. One minute after the restart Samantha O'Keefe drove home a good cross from Dani Gigliello for a 1-0 lead, and 5 minutes later heavy pressure on the NOVA defence produced a second Hamlets goal. A very long throw down the sideline by Devin Donnelly was picked up by Gigliello whose quick cross was helped on by Megan Burke into the path of Rachel Gillies at the edge of the penalty box. Unmarked and uncontested she was able to set the ball up and crash a powerdrive high into the top left corner. Thereafter, the Hamlets defence, led by Murphy Ronan, Audrey Schmidt, and Ana Bowden, overpowered the NOVA attack, denying any significant shots on goal. The Hamlets ran out comfortable 2-0 winners and moved up to second place in the 10-team First Division.
On the Bowden B Field the Under 11 Boys resumed their domination of the Green Division with a 5-0 drubbing of the Stars of Massachusetts (Middlesex County). Ryan Stacy scored early, on a good cross from Ryan Elster whose fine cross later in the game was headed in by Tyler Martin in the best goal of the match. Joshua Jess scored two goals from close range, and the final goal was headed into his own net by a heavily pressured Stars defender to complete the rout. The Hamlets' passing was less smooth than in the previous week and several players held onto the ball too long when passes to better placed team-mates would have yielded better results. This performance was sloppy compared to that of the previous week but it is hard to argue with 16 goals in two games. Jack Blatchford made several good saves to protect his shutout and Joe Lacasse was an imperious leader in the defence.
Smarting from a 1-0 loss on the Bowden B Field the previous week, Gail Bagley's Under 11A Girls came back with a vengeance against South Shore Select in a 8-0 victory. Brittany Laramee opened and closed the scoring with 2 powerful drives from 15 yards. Liz Carlson bustled through the Select defence for two goals and had a hand in the best goal of the match. She dribbled 20 yards and then crossed the ball hard to Sarah Kane who turned well to give Lauren Barton the chance to place the ball accurately low into the corner of the net. Other goals were scored by Hannah Panteleakis, Delany Benison, and Sarah Kane. Goalies Elaina Falcone and Sarah Hall shared the shoutout.
In the second game on the Upper Field the Hamlets Under 12 B Girls took on the NOVA B team in an even game dominated by the Hamlets' sweeper Hayley Degnan who saved the Hamlets time and again with her timely interventions and long line-drive clearances. NOVA had the territorial edge in the first half which ended 0-0. Soon after the restart, after intense pressure from NOVA and against the run of the play, Catherine Bresnihan broke out on a fast counterattack and scored from the right with a sizzling low drive into the inside left netting~the only spot unprotected by a good goalie. The Hamlets continued to defend with grit and determination and to mount the occasional counterattack. But on one occasion they pushed up too far and NOVA broke through and scored on a ball that dribbled across the line after a mix-up in the Hamlets 6-yard box. The territorial battle was won thereafter by NOVA but the winning goal came for the Hamlets in a late counterattack. Driving runs by Bresnihan and Kelly Niland led to a weak defensive clearance by the NOVA sweeper. The ball came to Gabby Dieter who had a fine aggressive game at the wide left midfield slot. She hit the ball high and hard over the goalie's head from 20 yards for a memorable goal and an impressive victory 2-1.
The final brace of games proved a good illustration of one of soccer's problems in America: refereeing. The Hamlets Under 13 Boys and their opponents SUNS (Soccer Union of the North Shore) were the beneficiaries of some fine refereeing in which the referee was an effective and fair but unobtrusive arbiter of a fast, hard, free-flowing game good to watch from the sidelines. SUNS' teams are invariably small, quick, and strong, with a tradition of slick triangle passing. The first half was a fine end-to-end contest with both goalies called into action frequently. For the Hamlets, goalie Andrew Haas was outstanding as was central defender James Lacasse who broke up most of the SUNS attacks and sprayed probing passes all over the field. The Hamlets' most effective attacker was Kyle Gordon who penetrated the Suns defence on several occasions but was often without support. SUNS had a slight territorial advantage in the first half but the score remained 0-0. Early in the second half an injury to Gordon, who saw no further play after the injury, tipped the scales in favor of SUNS, as did a flukey cross from the right which twisted into a shot on goal, eluded the Hamlets defence, and found the base of the left post whence it trickled over the goal-line. The Hamlets gambled by moving James Lacasse into the midfield in hopes of an equalizer, but the longer the gamble without an equalizer the more vulnerable the Hamlets' defence, and in the last two minutes the SUNS scored twice to go out 3-0 winners, a score that flattered them.
In contrast to the game on the upper field, the game on the lower field was officiated poorly with the result that two of the goals should have been disallowed. One was the result of flagrant pushing and shoving seen by everybody but the relevant officials; the other came from one of several missed offside calls. Eastern Massachusetts S.C. were a k big strong team that deserved to win the game but not in the manner of the two goals gifted to them. In a 4-1 loss the Hamlets Under 12 Boys' two main consolations were a fine goalkeeping display by Thomas Kulesza and a splendid drive by Major Dorfman that proved to be the best goal of the game.