Green Mountain MS boys remain undefeated

By Greg Hart
Sports editor

Monday, Oct. 1, 2012
A lackluster first half left the Green Mountain Chieftains down by a 4-1 halftime score to the Vilas Squires of Alstead, NH. But a four-goal barrage in the second half, including the game-tying and game-winning goal in the final minutes, made for a stirring comeback. The hard fought win kept GM’s undefeated record intact at 6-0-1.

Playing on the road and facing Vilas for the first time this season, Green Mountain had it rough in the first half. “We just didn’t show up to play,” lamented GM coach Ashley Carafiello. On the other hand, things couldn’t have gone much better for Vilas, tallying four goals usually bodes well for a team, and indeed it looked like it was Vilas’ game for the taking. The Squires entered halftime with the 4-1 lead, having surrendered the lone goal to GM’s Ben Haseltine.

“It was a small field and it put a damper on our normal 3-4-3 formation. For the second half, we switched to a 3-3-4, which helped push the ball up the field and dominate,” said Carafiello about GM’s adjustments that changed the dynamic of the game in the Chief’s favor in the second half.

Green Mountain started clawing its way back into the game on the strength of an early second half breakaway goal from striker Mack Walton. Emboldened, GM continued with consistent possession and pressure, holding the ball in the offensive zone and keeping the Squires’ goalie busy. But the keeper got no help from his defense on the next goal as GM wing forward Ian Kehoe’s end-line cross was knocked in by a Vilas fullback for an own-goal.

“It was a small field and it put a damper on our normal 3-4-3 formation. For the second half, we switched to a 3-3-4, which helped push the ball up the field and dominate.”
Ashley Carafiello

It was clear Vilas relished the thought of giving GM its first loss of the season with its coach shouting it out numerous times as sideline motivation after giving up two goals to begin the half. Trying to hold on to its 4-3 lead, Vilas did manage a few counter attacks midway through the half but were consistently thwarted by strong defense from center fullback Sean Kenney and center mid Finn Thurston. The Squires’ best chance at regaining the momentum came on a direct kick just outside the box to the left side, a nice strike that Chiefs’ keeper Jon Little handled well, keeping the deficit at one for GM.

With less than 10 minutes to play, it looked like Vilas would hold on as its goalie robbed Haseltine on a clean breakaway attempt. This was followed shortly by a deep shot from Kehoe on the opposite wing, which beat the keeper but hit the crossbar and was cleared safely away. Undaunted, the Chiefs kept the pressure on, pushing forward in numbers as Vilas packed in its defense. GM’s pressure and a crowded penalty area finally conspired against Vilas in the last few minutes and resulted in two quick goals; the first, a blast from Walton that Jeremy Fleming deflected in for the tying score and. the second, another Walton shot, this time a seeing-eye lefty that found its way through a crowded box for the go-ahead game winner.