Auburn News : soccer

Memorial boys knocked out by Central in state semifinal

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:23:00 GMT

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

There wasn’t much that could douse the excitement of Chris Laberge, who had just led Manchester Central’s boys soccer team to its first-ever state championship match.

One thing – actually a team – was the exception. “The soft side of me, and that is a side that isn’t shown often, feels bad for (Manchester Memorial),” said the Little Green mentor following the team’s 2-0 semifinal victory over the rival Crusaders on Wednesday, Nov. 4, at Nashua’s Stellos Stadium.

Memorial, with four local players, finished the season with an 11-5-3 record after earning the No. 8 seed, then upending Merrimack and top-ranked Concord en route to the clash with No. 4 seed Central, the eventual state champion.

With 16 minutes remaining in the first half, Little Green forward Jon Ntonga took a feed from Romero Osorio and broke the scoreless tie.

Memorial’s defense couldn’t keep the margin at one, giving up a goal to Hooksett’s Chris Beauchesne with 5:22 left to push the edge to 2-0 at the intermission.

Memorial’s electric sophomore striker Peguy Ngatcha had a clean shot on goal early on, but he couldn’t connect. It was a moment Memorial head coach Paul Ostberg said was an early momentum shift.

“He doesn’t miss often,” said Ostberg. “We wanted to keep it as close as we could for as long as we could. The longer we could have kept it 0-0 would have benefited us.”

Auburn residents Tim Gregoire, Seth Lafay and Brian Lipsett were all critical members of the team, in addition to Hooksett’s Matt McQueeney, a constant scoring threat.

Fourteen seniors graduate from this year’s Memorial team, including Gregoire, Lipsett and Lafay. Ostberg said he must rely on his JV and youth programs to help him continue the program’s recent success.

While Memorial’s mentor said the rivalry brought excitement to the pitch, the timing was just off.

“Chris (Laberge) and I have always said we wanted to meet in the finals, but unfortunately it was a game short,” said Ostberg. “We’re proud for the city of Manchester, and for those guys.”

For strong Memorial team, local talent a focal point

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:56:00 GMT

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

When Tim Gregoire is down, he’s not coming out. The Auburn resident is one of four locals on the Memorial boys soccer team who bring gritty play to a squad battling for a top spot in the Class L tournament.

Along with Gregoire, Auburn’s Brian Lipsett and Seth Lafay earned starting spots along with Hooksett’s Matt McQueeney, a key offensive threat for Memorial.

“(The area players) have brought a lot of leadership throughout their time with me,” said Memorial head coach Paul Ostberg. “They just play extremely hard and have been critical to our team all year.”

Gregoire in particular brought a physical style to the defensive backfield against 6-3- 0 Salem, on Oct. 2.

Twice, the defenseman landed hard, clean tackles on Salem opponents to win balls before falling to the ground in pain. Neither hit forced him to miss any action, however, and he helped shut down the Blue Devils the rest of the game.

“He’s been with me for four years, and he has always been one of the toughest players that I have coached,” said Ostberg.

Though the home team took a 1-0 lead just six minutes into the game, McQueeney tied the match when he took a loose ball from the left side and sent it into the upper-right-hand corner of the net late in the first half.

Forward Peguy Ngatcha added the game-winner midway through the second half, as Memorial won the contest, 2-1, to improve to 7-1-2.

Since then, the Crusaders faced two opponents higher in the standings: Pinkerton Academy and Londonderry.

On Oct. 6, Memorial handed Pinkerton its second loss of the year before absorbing its second setback in a 5-1 loss at Londonderry on Friday, Oct. 9.

The Crusaders have two matchups left with top teams, hosting 10-2-1 Bishop Guertin on Friday, Oct. 16, and 11-1-1 Concord to close the regular season on Thursday, Oct. 22.

Ostberg said facing these difficult opponents pays dividends for his largely inexperienced team as it enters the postseason.

“This gets them ready for the playoff atmosphere,” he said. “These tough games bring out the best in our players. It gives them a chance to be challenged when the pressure’s on.”

Memorial’s spirited comeback answered decisively by state champs

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:05:00 GMT

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

Manchester Memorial’s players erupted in a raucous celebration on the sidelines after erasing a 2-0 deficit late in the second half of its semifinal match against top-seeded Pinkerton Academy.

Eighteen seconds later, the Crusaders had nothing left to be excited about.

Pinkerton and Memorial combined to score six goals in the second half of their Class L contest on Nov. 4, but the Astros bounced back to score the final two, advancing to the title game and winning against Concord, 1-0.

After a scoreless first half, Pinkerton scored just 49 seconds into the second frame.

“That’s just poor halftime coaching on my part,” said Paul Ostberg, Memorial’s mentor. “It’s just the signature of a championship team to come out that quick, and for us it was the signature of a fourth-seeded team.”

After a second Astros goal made the score 2-0, the Crusaders’ postseason chances appeared slim, but with 16:35 remaining, freshman Peguy Ngatcha made a spin move inside the box and fired a shot off the crossbar.

Though Ngatcha’s shot didn’t go in, Sean MacDonald’s rebound did, cutting the lead in half. Less than eight minutes later, the Crusaders took advantage of a loose ball following a collision with the Pinkerton goalie, and MacDonald notched the gametying score, igniting the Memorial bench.

“We changed our formation up, and that really opened up the offensive game,” said Ostberg. “When we scored the second (goal), we stayed in our 3-4-3 formation. We really didn’t expect them to score that quickly.”

Following the equalizer, Pinkerton carried the ball down the field, putting a shot on goal that bounced back out to Michael Wanelik, who found the back of the net.

The Astros sealed their spot in the finals when Wanelik dropped a chip shot into the net from 45 yards out, leaving the Crusaders down two goals with 4:07 left.

In recent years Memorial has been knocked out of the tournament early, something that has frustrated Ostberg.

“We need to get used to playing more playoff games. It comes down to one mistake, one chance. Every little thing is magnified,” said Ostberg. “This is like a recurring nightmare for me.”

Salem avenges 2007 playoff loss by ousting Memorial

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 19:38:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

Though the flavor of the Class L semifinals is indeed sweet for the Salem girls soccer team, their defeated quarterfinal-round opponent, Memorial, is hardly bitter. Last season, it was the Crusaders who defeated the Blue Devils on their way to the state’s final four.

This year, it was No. 4 Salem knocking off its 12th-seeded Queen City foe, 2-0, on Saturday, Nov. 1, to advance to the semis for the first time since 2002.

“It tastes good,” said Salem’s third-year head coach, Kendrick Whittle. “We’re happy with our accomplishment, but the thing I just told the girls, the thing I’m happiest with, is that they didn’t come off the field acting ecstatic.

You know, we’ve played very good soccer the last two games, but we have a bigger goal here.” Memorial obviously had the same aspirations, and coach Dan Wyborney said the Crusaders were right where they wanted to be. Salem simply outplayed them.

“We definitely started to shine a little bit near the end of the season, which is what happens every year,” said Wyborney of a squad he’s led to the semifinals two of the last four years. “You know, it doesn’t really matter what happens during the regular season or where you finish. It’s how you perform in the big games, and we’re a big-game team. Of course, today we didn’t really put it out there the way we could have and should have, but I give Salem a lot of credit for that.”

It didn’t help that the Crusaders were without injured standout midfielder Chantel Van Rossum.

Still, Whittle gave the brownie points to his back line of Caitlin Peters, Sarah Snyder, Avery Neusch, Sara Viehl, Kristine Gosson and Hannah LaRochelle for shutting down a Memorial offense that outscored its last five regular season opponents, 16-3, and led the Lady Crusaders to a 3-2 upset of No. 5 Pinkerton in the opening round of the playoffs.

Salem’s defense has yet to allow a goal in 160 minutes of playoff soccer and shut down Memorial’s Kaleigh Roberge, whom Whittle termed the most explosive striker in the state.

Offensively, it was Liz Edgerton who gave her team the early lead during a back-and-forth first half. Then, with 15 minutes left in the contest, Kayla Provenzano hooked a corner kick past MHS keeper Ashley Gendron to secure the win.

Now Wyborney is faced with the reality he’ll say goodbye to eight seniors; all played integral roles on this year’s team. That list includes Auburn’s Chantel Van Rossum and her sister Desirae. Gendron, a sophomore from Auburn, is likely to return next season.

Crusaders work for return to playoffs – and a different outcome

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 18:28:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

Last year, the Memorial boys soccer team finished the regular season 12-3-1, but following a frustrating 1-0 overtime loss to Londonderry in the Class L quarterfinals, the Crusaders have some unfinished business.

Though coach Paul Ostberg is downplaying the disappointment of MHS’s quick exit in 2007, he’s the first to admit his squad was on an absolute tear entering the postseason. In fact, Memorial had lost to two quality opponents in overtime early in the year before staging a 12-game winning streak.

“If you don’t win the state title, I think everyone has a chip on their shoulder,” said Ostberg. “We’re not happy with the way last year ended, but at the same time we’re starting this season with a clean slate … As long as we get into the playoffs, we’ll take it from there.”

Memorial, off to a 4-0 start, returned six seniors and has filled its holes with two strong juniors, a solid sophomore and an impact freshman.

Senior Cristian Rodriguez, who scored 27 goals last year, already has two tallies and four assists through four games this season. He captains the Crusaders with fellow seniors Gavin Madden, who Ostberg said may be the best defender in the state, and standout goalie Greg Poulin.

Seniors Adis Jamak, a midfielder, forward Boris Yakubenko and defender John Destefano of Auburn also return to the starting lineup, and Cody Charbonneau and Justin Olivier are also expected to contribute.

Junior midfielder Matt McQueeney and backfielder Tim Gregoire start this season, as well, and are complemented by sophomore Sean MacDonald and Peguy Ngatcha, who has offered two goals and an assist in the first four games.

Seth LaFay, Brian Lipsett, Paul DeCosta and Crispin Munyana also play key roles; and Kenneth Caldwell IV, Nicholas McMaster, James Schrepfer, Alexander Bennett, Carlos Monzon, Cody Marchand, Sean McCoubry, Nathan Marchand, Zachary Charron, Ian Laventure and Steven Ives are also expected to see playing time.

“All these guys play year round. They all play club (soccer), and they came in ready and prepared,” said Ostberg, who in 10 years has built MHS into an annual contender after 40 losses in his first three seasons.

“This is a very good group that all care for each other and support each other,” he continued. “I’ve been very encouraged by the way these guys play. In fact, we’re trying to win the sportsmanship award this year. We want to win, but we also want to be courteous to our fellow players, fans and officials.”

Auburn athletes lead Memorial to semifinals

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 18:17:00 GMT

BY SAPNA PATHAK

Facing elimination or advancement during this year’s Class L girls soccer tournament, Manchester Memorial responded to its first two challenges before falling to upstart Pinkerton Academy, 2-1, in the state semifinals on Tuesday, Oct. 30.

Kaleigh Roberge scored Memorial’s lone goal 15 minutes into the match, but Pinkerton strung together two quick goals, 15 minutes apart, in the second half.

“One loss doesn’t take away from the accomplishments of the regular season," said Memorial head coach Dan Wyborney. "It ends the season, but it doesn’t change the good things we did.”

Seeded fifth, the Crusaders took on Class L power Merrimack, the No. 4 seed, in the tourney’s quarterfinals, squeezing out a 3-2 win to advance.

“We went in knowing if we could control their striker, who’s a huge force on their offense, we could keep the game attainable,” said Wyborney. “That’s the way Class L has been this year. The ball can bounce one way once or another way once, so there were no guarantees.”

Memorial took a 1-0 lead against the Tomahawks when Roberge took advantage of a miscue between Merrimack’s goalie and defenders. Auburn’s Kariel Parian turned in a strong first-half defensive effort to preserve the one-goal lead.

Eight minutes into the second half, Merrimack scored its first goal, but Roberge answered with her second goal roughly 12 minutes later for a 2-1 Crusaders’ advantage. Midfielder Chantel Van Rossum of Auburn provided the final goal, scoring four minutes after Roberge’s second goal.

The defense allowed another goal with seven minutes remaining, but the Crusaders held on. Senior captain and starting goalie Kelsey Isham of Auburn made two saves in the second half to keep her teammates motivated.

“Kelsey was great,” said Wyborney. “She’s a very strong leader, and she made two huge saves that kept us in that game. Merrimack could’ve gone on a tear after we began the half up one goal, and she really didn’t allow that to happen or them to gain any momentum.”