Rebels rule Chiefs in Josh Cole finals 5-0

By Greg Hart

Ludlow, Sept. 15

Leland & Gray dominated Green Mountain with superior size, speed and skill on a chilly night under the lights at Dorsey Park in Ludlow, taking the Josh Cole Memorial Tournament crown in a decisive 5-0 win on Saturday, Sept. 15.

The turning point came about 20 minutes into the first half. Down by one goal, GM’s Addison Provance settled a ball just past midfield and sent Jake Cavacas down the right wing with a great through ball. Cavacas cleared his defender with one touch and blasted a shot beating the Rebel goalie with what looked like a sure goal. But it deflected off the crossbar and was cleared away. Minutes later, Leland & Gray seized the moment and the momentum as a low crossing shot from the wing eluded Chiefs keeper Kyle Kemp in the goal mouth and the Rebels Bruno Kosar was there for an easy tap-in and a 2-0 lead for the boys from Townshend.

The Chieftains battled gamely against the physical Rebels even after allowing an early goal four minutes into the game. There were other early chances for Leland & Gray, but GM was working hard in the defensive zone, with some good fortune and good saves they held the Rebels at bay to maintain the 1-0 margin for the first 20 minutes.

Having withstood the Rebels early pressure from the start, GM was unable to mount much of an offensive attack of their own. In fact, they were 17minutes into the half when the Rebel keeper first handled the ball, an easy roller at that.

After losing midfielder AJ Paczkowski for the game with an ankle injury and going down 2-0 on Kosar’s goal, the Chiefs looked like they were just trying to maintain that deficit and get to halftime. Leland & Gray would not oblige, winning nearly every loose ball and playing with sustained pressure and physicality, effectively sealing the game early with two more goals and a 4-0 halftime lead.

Tyler Scott closed the scoring for the Rebels 13 minutes into the second half, fielding a low goal kick, streaking in nearly alone and slotting a low shot into the left corner for the 5-0 final score.

Despite the Rebels’ dominance, Chiefs coach Scott Walker was pleased with his team’s effort: “This was one of the better battles of the year for our team.” Walker also commended his team’s tenaciousness against a difficult opponent, saying, “I’m proud of this team, they worked hard for the entire 80 minutes” even though they were down early and then by four goals at the half.