Putting shots on net wasn’t the problem for the Bedford boys soccer team during the preliminary round of the Class I playoffs.

While the ninth-seeded Bulldogs controlled play against No. 8 Merrimack Valley, the locals were knocked out by a heartbreaking late goal on Thursday, Oct. 29, in a 1-0 loss.

Despite playing on a grass surface rather than its synthetic home turf, Bedford maintained a high tempo throughout the contest, easily outshooting Merrimack Valley, 26-6.

The Pride made the most of their few opportunities, thanks to a goal from the program’s all-time leading scorer, Aaron Smith.

The senior snuck a shot inside the far post with six minutes remaining to give his team the edge.

“I think it was one of those games where we could sense that things just weren’t going right for us,” said Bedford mentor Stuart Pepper. “It’s happened to us a lot where we haven’t been able to put games away. It was the story of our season. We’ve been so close, but not close enough.”

Bedford posted a 9-5-2 regular season, but lost to Laconia, 2-1, to close the regular season.

A win there meant a firstround home match for the Bulldogs, something Pepper said could have made a difference.

Freshman Erik Martel created several solid chances in the final third of the Class I opener, but Merrimack Valley’s goalkeeper was up to the task in each case, keeping the Bulldogs off the scoreboard. The team loses seniors Kyle Clark, Brian Comiskey, Jeff Gancarz, Jack Joseph, Mike Laflamme, Mike Marinelli, James O’Brien, Will Pearson and James Shappler.

“I felt so bad for the nine seniors. They were the heartbeat of the team and made this program what it is,” said Pepper. “There were tears and sadness, but lots of pride as well. It was an emotional end because of the way we played. As much as it was disappointed, I doubt the boys will forget playing that way.”

Because of the many talented underclassmen remaining, Pepper has high hopes for the team in 2010.

“We’re not quite the finished article, and next year we need to keep developing and work on our finishing game,” said the Bedford coach. “I think we understand now that we’re close to other programs.

“We need to get better,” continued Pepper. “The players who are coming up understand what a top team is in this division, and we are very close to it.”