HARDWICK – After falling to Division II Lake Region to start their week, the Hazen Union boys soccer team put an end to their four-match losing streak with a hard-fought road win over Spaulding.
Wildcat sophomore Lincoln Hill (right) heads the ball during play at home against Brody McDonald (left) of Lake Region October 8. Lake Region defeated Hazen Union 3-0.
Owen Rogers netted a first half hat trick to lead Lake Region to a 3-0 road win over the Wildcats last Tuesday. Rogers capitalized on a Wildcat defensive error eight minutes into the match to give the visitors a 1-0 lead and converted a penalty kick 10 minutes later to give the Rangers a two-goal advantage. The talented striker capitalized once again, burying a feed from Chase Stenger with four minutes left in the first half for the back breaker. Craftsbury Academy’s (CA) Grayson McNaughten recorded 13 saves in the loss. Lincoln Racine, Jacob Poginy, and Konnor Farley combined to make six saves for the Rangers to earn the shutout. Lake Region evened their record at 6-6.
“They controlled the midfield and won the majority of the 50-50 balls in the first half. We had multiple defensive errors that they converted into scores in the first 40 minutes, but I thought we played with more intensity in the second half and Grayson finished with a much better performance. We just couldn’t create a quality scoring chance in what was their third string keeper by the end,” said head coach Harry Besett.
Hazen Union sophomore Jeter Demers (left) and Jayden Choquette (right) of Lake Region both head for the ball on Hudson Field, October 8. Lake Region won 3-0.
Junior captain Morgan Michaud scored the eventual game-winner with 20 minutes left in regulation to power the Wildcats to a 2-1 road win over Spaulding last Thursday. Sophomore Jeter Demers buried a feed from Justin Montgomery 15 minutes into the second half for the first score of the match. Michaud’s header off an Ari Jurkiewicz corner five minutes later made it 2-0 Hazen.
Robert Chapelle pulled the Crimson Tide within a score with 15 minutes left, but the Wildcat defense stiffened. Chayse Newell and McNaughten combined to make 14 stops in the win. Trent Loftus turned away five shots for Spaulding as they fell to 1-11 on the season.
Hazen Union’s Ari Jurkiewicz (right) controls the ball against Bretton Phillips (left) of Lake Region during an October 8 match. The Rangers beat the Wildcats 3-0.
“It was a cold and blustery day, with the temperature dropping quickly in the second half. We created some good chances in the first half despite being down three starters. The boys played with abandoned raw passion and both teams should be proud of how they competed the final 10 minutes as both teams looked to end losing streaks. We were looking to build some confidence in our final three games of the season and this hard-earned win should allow us to dodge the top teams in the first round of the playoffs,” said Besett.
The Wildcats improved to 4-8 and will wrap up the regular season this week with a pair of home dates against two of the top teams in the Capital League, hosting Stowe on Wednesday and Montpelier on Friday.
