Gutmann's Four Goals Too Much for St. Joe's
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- Both Nate Gutmann and the McCann Tech boys' soccer team seem to be picking up steam as the season winds down. Gutmann scored four goals to lead the Hornets to their second straight win on Wednesday, a 4-2 home victory over Saint Joseph's.It was McCann's third win in the past four games and the first ever victory over the Crusaders in program history. In his team's last three wins, Adam Kozik's club has outscored its opponents 12-3.
St. Joe's won the first meeting 4-3 the first time the two teams met last month and looked to have the upper edge again early, earning a 2-1 lead by halftime. Chris Anderson put the Crusaders on top with a penalty kick in the 33rd minute, but Gutmann answered back four minutes later with an unassisted tally of his own. Matt Begrowicz beat the first-half whistle, however, netting a goal with 30 seconds left on the clock to give St. Joe's a 2-1 lead at the break.
"Although St. Joe's controlled the game in the first half, the situation quickly changed during the second half," Kozik said. "We passed better than I've ever seen us pass, and we took advantage of some situations and capitalized. Better marking helped our defense the rest of the game"
Although they were outshot 14-11 in the second half and 29-17 for the entire match, the Hornets (5-8-1) outscored the visitors 3-0 in the second half. Gutmann tied the game in the 53rd minute, intercepting a risky cross into the center of the field and scoring past Crusaders' goalie Mike Carpenter (six saves). The senior captain then came up with the game winner a little more than six minutes later, knocking in a cross by freshman Shane Fuller that was just out of the reach of Carpenter. Gutmann then put the game away for good with six and half minutes left in the game, scoring off of a rebounded shot from freshman Kevin Dowling.
Damon Couture was another freshman who had a big day for McCann on the defensive end. Connor Vazquez was also solid in the Hornets' goal, making 16 saves throughout the match.
McCann next hosts Pathfinder at 4 p.m. on Friday.