The Manchester West boys soccer team won’t be getting any points for promptness this season. Besides, they’re getting enough of them the old fashioned way.
Since starting the season 0-5-1 with little offensive production, the Blue Knights have burst onto the scene in the second half, winning six of their last eight games, including their last four entering a contest with Salem on Tuesday, Oct. 17, to climb the playoff ladder to 11th in Class L.
Tardiness, it seems, suits Ben Brewster’s club well. Scheduled to start its game with Spaulding at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 12, West didn’t make it to Bolin Field until a little past the hour; its bus was finishing its elementary-school route.
After West rushed through its warm-ups, the game started at 4:30 p.m. By 5:10, the Blue Knights had a 4-0 lead in an eventual 5-0 win.
The outburst, though West’s largest in one half this season, wasn’t unexpected. Starting with a 4-3 win over Alvirne on Sept. 19, West has scored the third-most goals in an eight-game span among Class L teams entering Tuesday. Its 20 scores fall only behind first-place Exeter’s 27 and second-place Bishop Guertin’s 22.
The reason for the turnaround? Brewster pointed to more confidence due to a more stable lineup.
Through the first half of the season, Brewster estimated he started six or seven different combinations of players in games. In the last five contests, he said he’s used only one.
“You can’t really teach kids to score, but you can try to get them to get second and third chances,” said Brewster, West’s first-year coach. “And hopefully when you’re right there, someone can just knock it in.
“In other games, we would be up 2-0, and get a little anxious, give up a goal and make it a nightmare,” he continued, pointing to their latest 2-0 upset of Merrimack as evidence of change. “We’re more secure now.”
As a result, several players have flourished. Seniors Caldwell Clark and Eric Landry have wreaked havoc in opposing backfields, with Landry netting three game-winning goals in the second half of the year.
Kevin Ducharme, Sam Kelley and Adam Robichaud all scored out of their midfield spots against Spaulding, while Adan Catovic netted a penalty kick. Adam Fulling and Brendan Dessanti have pressed opposing backs into mistakes all season.
Senior back David Sylvain has provided muscle on the back line and a huge leg to boot on West’s set plays, while senior captain Dave Dessanti has been solid in net, posting three shutouts in his last four games.
“We’re finally playing as a team, getting some shots,” said Clark, whose team had to forfeit a win over Pinkerton Academy earlier this season after the NHIAA ruled a transfer hadn’t submitted all his paperwork.
“We weren’t too motivated (before),” he continued. “But we got one win, might as well as get another.”
The wins are a little late coming. But the ones that really matter usually are.