For the Goffstown boys soccer team, the pitch was far from perfect in the opening round of the Class L tournament.

In addition to dealing with top-seeded Concord, the No. 16 Grizzlies battled a muddy and wet surface during action on Wednesday, Oct. 28.

Despite a lopsided 5-1 score, Goffstown gave the home team a bit of a scare, trailing 2-1 until about 15 minutes remained, when the Crimson Tide pulled away.

Concord jumped to a 2-0 lead and was ready to cruise into the quarterfinals, but an own goal by the Tide defense put the Grizzlies on the board before intermission.

“The score was not in any way indicative of the play,” said head coach Larry Houghton. “We played really well, but they were just bigger, stronger and faster than we were.”

In the first 25 minutes of the second half, Concord regularly possessed the ball in the offensive zone before finding the back of the net again.

The Grizzlies won four times during the regular season to earn the final Class L postseason berth, a strong feat for a team with only three seniors – Michael Whitney, Shayne Pouget and John Carbonneau.

Carbonneau played an especially large role in the team’s development this year, starting as the goalie before being asked to move into the field to allow freshman keeper Adam Routhier minutes in net.

Come crunch time at the end of the year, Houghton asked Carbonneau to step back into net, where he finished the regular season and playoffs.

Sophomore twin brothers Kyle and Dylan Bisceglia anchored the Goffstown defense, while junior Ryan Emerson brought leadership in addition to his contributions in the backfield.

Though Houghton said the three freshmen and four sophomores in this year’s starting rotation bode well for the program’s near future.

“(The game against Concord) was crazy, and we played outstanding soccer for 80 percent of the game. It just wasn’t enough,” said Houghton, who added he thought the team had a chance to win if the turf had been dry. “We can play some great soccer and I look forward to seeing us do that.”