DANVILLE – Head coach Peter Stratman and his Caledonia United boys soccer team picked up right where they left off from last fall with an emphatic win over Paine Mountain in their season opener last week.
photo by Vanessa Fournier.
In their second season as a three-school cooperative (Twinfield-Cabot-Danville), Caledonia United recovered from an early one goal deficit last Friday to handle Paine Mountain at home 5-1.
Alex Colgan broke through the defense to give the visitors a 1-0 lead ten minutes into the match.
Sean Lehoe jumpstarted the home crowd with the equalizer in extra time right before the halftime horn sounded to make it 1-1. Jola Otten gave Cal United the lead for good twenty minutes into the second half and Paine Mountain was on its back foot the rest of the match.
“Paine Mountain started fast and had us on our heels for much of the first half. They beat us to the ball and pushed some nice passes into dangerous positions. It took a while to find our rhythm and grow into the match. Once the boys settled into the game and started connecting passes, we were able to dictate the tempo and create more scoring opportunities,” said Stratman.
Sam McLane made a heroic return to the pitch on Friday after battling back from a late season-ending injury last fall that stalled Cal United’s playoff run in the quarterfinal round. McLane helped lead Cal United to a program record 11 wins last season. The talented senior gave the home team a 3-1 lead midway through the second half on Friday and found the back of the net a second time in extra time at the end of regulation.
photo by Vanessa Fournier
Ori Astick scored his first varsity goal for Cal United in minute-79 to give his team’s defense a three-goal cushion. Josh Petersen made five stops for Cal United in the win.
Owen Sweet and David Myer combined to make seven saves for Paine Mountain.
“Paine Mountain’s defense did a good job keeping it close for much of the match. It was great to see so many different players for us get on the scoresheet. Ben Monaco and Kaiden Rogers were standouts for us defensively all day long and everyone’s progress so far in practices and scrimmages have been impressive. Ultimately, I’m pleased with the final result and I’m proud of how the boys responded after going down early,” said Stratman.
Cal United is scheduled to host a talented Burke Mountain Academy team on Thursday before hitting the road for the first time to face BFA-Fairfax next Monday.
