O'Connor, Dils Lead Mounties Past Lenox
LENOX, Mass. -- The Mount Greylock boys soccer team continued to bounce back from its first loss of the season by earning a decisive win over North Division rival Lenox on Tuesday night.
Naka O'Connor scored twice, and Sam Dils had a goal and an assist as the Mounties (7-1) won their second in a row after dropping one to Pittsfield last week.
"Had we lost to Pittsfield, would we have won against Ludlow [on Friday]? Probably not," Mount Greylock coach Blair Dils said. "We buckled down and worked on some things and did some better things defensively in that game despite giving up two goals.
"I think the work we've been doing on defense showed up tonight in really limiting their high-quality scoring opportunities."
Mount Greylock was up 4-0 late in the second half when Emerson Wolski set up Michael Abdalla for the Millionaires' lone goal.
The Mounties got on the board in the fifth minute when Aaron Kleiner's corner kick from the right wing was headed home by Naka O'Connor.
But despite keeping the Millionaires (5-3-1) pinned in their half of the field for most of the first half, that goal was all the Mounties had to show for their efforts going into the break.
"The way we played and the way they played, they could have easily been up, 3-0, at half-time," Lenox coach Dave Pugh said. "So I felt that we were given a little bit of a break going to the second half only down 1-0. It only takes one shot to tie it. ... So I thought we were very fortunate given how much time they spent in the attacking third, how many set pieces we gave them, to just be down 1-0.
"And give some credit to [Matt] Tibbets. He made some great saves to only be down 1-0 at half-time."
Tibbets ended up with eight saves on the night, including five in that first half.
The Mounties, meanwhile, did not let their lack of goals over the first 40 minutes get in their heads.
"We knew we had our chances, especially early on in the first half," sophomore Sam Dils said. "We knew [the chances] were going to keep coming, and we just had to take them when they came. It was good to get early one right away in the second half."
In the 45th minute, Kleiner took a throw-in from deep on the left wing that caromed off the foot of a Lenox defender to Dils, who set up Brady Foehl for a goal go make it 2-0.
Midway through the half, O'Connor scored his second of the game, this time from the top of the 18, to make it 3-0.
"I had a feeling about Naka tonight," Blair Dils said. "He likes the lights. He loves game days. And there was just a little look in his eyes before the match. I thought he might do a few special things tonight."
Sam Dils scored the Mounties' final goal on a cross from Crow Brennan to push the lead to four goals before Abdalla spoiled the shutout bid of Mount Greylock keeper Cal Filson (three saves).
Mount Greylock steps out of county play for its next two games -- at Manchester, Vt.'s, Burr & Burton Academy on Saturday and home next week against West Springfield -- before hosting Wahconah on Oct. 19.
Lenox on Thursday travels to Hoosac Valley.