Boys Soccer 9-22-11, MVU: 1 BFA: 0

MVU's Caleb Lothian slides to block Caleb McLane's run toward goal in MVU's 1-0 win Thursday (all game photos soon available at www.fcsportsonline.com)

         Of all the sportswriting I've done, I haven't had anything more negatively received than my blog on the first BFA/MVU boys soccer game of the season. I ended the caption of my photo from that game by saying football fans might want to check out round two. In all honesty, I was still expecting the worst tonight. Some personal disputes arose from the first meeting and had the potential to explode tonight. Throw in a soaking wet field and I thought the odds of a memorably ugly game were high. But when the final whistle blew, I was satisfied and a bit relieved to have seen the best soccer game in Franklin County so far this year.

*I don't mean to say this game wasn't physical or without penalties. There were even a few cheap shots (and there always will be). But what seemed different tonight from the first game was that each side was focused primarily on playing good soccer and used aggressiveness to support their style.

*I felt like Caleb McLane, Camilo Cuadra and Matt Thayer did an excellent job of applying pressure to MVU's defense all night (no easy task on a bigger field in poor conditions). Unfortunately for them, Missisquoi's Caleb Lothian is one of the best pure sweepers I've seen in a long time -- both in terms of talent and leadership. 

*Both keepers played well, though it was T-Bird Eamon Murphy who was called upon to make more difficult saves. He definitely earned the shutout.

*I'm happy with the way BFA is playing. The results aren't ideal yet but there is clearly improvement . If the Bobwhites continue to play like they did tonight, the second half of its season will be just fine.

*My main concern with BFA right now is its chemistry. There seemed to be big problems internally both in its first loss to MVU and in its win over Milton. I wasn't around the Bobwhite bench enough tonight to see if that's gotten better, but the 11 men on the field certainly played like a team against Missisquoi.

*MVU is good. T-Bird haters wrote off their 3 boys titles last year by saying things like "We could have won in Division II." (False: only BFA's baseball team was on the same level as MVU last year, and that was a push). Many (myself included) expected a mighty struggle this year after the graduations of 5 of the 6 athletes who played on all 3 title teams. Missisquoi is still incredibly strong and could potentially beat any team in the state when it plays its best soccer.

*I made a comment about 5 minutes before his spectacular goal that Matt St. Amour was the best player on the field by a large margin. He may receive more praise for his basketball excellence, but I am constantly in awe of his play on the soccer field. The smarts and creativity that make him a great basketball player show just as well on the pitch. 95% of high school players would have tried to shoot the ball around the defender and goalie from 15 yards and maybe made the shot. St. Amour saw the defender moving too fast to stop on the wet grass and stopped on a dime, giving himself essentially an empty net from the 6 yard line.

*I was in no position to see, but heard from some reliable people that St. Amour was offsides when Nic Kosac fed him the ball for the game's only goal. Again, I have no idea due to my position (behind the BFA goal) but tend to believe these people based on both their position and trustworthiness. I hate to see a 1-0 game decided by a missed call, though anyone with a brain can tell you one call doesn't decide a game.

*I expected to hear all kinds of complaining from BFA students and fans about the officiating in the final 20 minutes, but have not so far. Certainly many whistles went against the Bobwhites late, but that's to be expected when a team has to come from behind late and step up its aggressiveness. BFA handled itself well.

*I don't usually have a favorite in a BFA/MVU game, but was quietly rooting for a Bobwhite goal in the final minutes simply because I wanted the game to go on just a bit longer. Thanks to both teams for a hell of a show tonight!

--Full game article with pictures in 9-23 edition of The St. Albans Messenger