Mounties Finish Well in Win over Lenox
LENOX, Mass. — The Mount Greylock boys' soccer team picked up right where it left on Friday, earning a 4-0 road win over Lenox and showing the same form that delivered the Mounties an undefeated regular season and a Berkshire County title last year.Although the final score seemed one-sided, Greylock head coach Blair Dils said the game was extremely competitive before the visitors pulled away in the final 10 minutes of the game.
"The game was much closer than the score indicated," Dils said. "Corner kicks were about even and possession was probably about 50/50. Lenox's Seamus Ryan was very dangerous and put a lot of pressure on on our backline, which responded very well. I'm sure we'll see a different team when we play them at home in a few weeks."
The difference in the game and on the scoreboard had a lot to do with the Mounties' midfielder Nathan Majumder. The senior captain played a role in all four of his team's goals. He gave Greylock the lead in the 14th minute of play, scoring off of a header set up on a free kick sent in by freshman Benni McComish. The Millionaires played tough the rest of the half, however, and nearly nabbed the equalizer had it not been for a few clutch saves by senior goalie Sean Houston (four saves).
"Our first goal was a really well-played free kick from Benni right to Nathan's head," Dils said. "The finish was high quality. Sean later made two superb saves back to back with less than two minutes left in the half. He stopped a point-blank shot about 10 yards out and then raced back to the goal to knock a second shot off the rebound out of bounds. His reaction and then his quickness to get back showed why he's one of the best in the area."
"It was really a big turning point in the match."
The Mounties carried that momentum into the second half, taking a 2-0 lead 17 minutes in when McComish knocked in a pass from Majumder from six yards out. Greylock then put the match away by scoring two goals in a five-minute span late in the game. Majumder set up both strikes, first giving sophomore Grant Raphael a clean look from 12 yards out before finding classmate Eric Hirsch, who scored on a left-footed shot into the far panel of the goal.
"Nathan really stepped up his game tonight," Dils said. "Having a hand in all four goals shows how strong of an offensive player he is. Our finishing was also excellent tonight, however. The boys made great runs into the box and great decisions in the box. The last three goals came off of great passes, and the finishes were clinical. We've been working on finishing all preseason, so the hard work appears to be paying off."
An example of how efficient the Mounties' offense was on Friday can be seen in the fact that they scored four goals on just six shots. Greylock returns to action with a match at Hoosac Valley on Tuesday, while Lenox plays at Drury on the same day. Both games start at 4 p.m.