Drury Battles to Home Win in Division 5 Tournament

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Drury opened its Division 5 State Tournament run with a 2-1 win over Boston Prep Charter, using a second-half penalty kick to earn another 80 minutes and advance to the next round.

 

Drury came out aggressive from the opening whistle, looking to put pressure on the Boston Prep Charter defense.

 

The first good opportunity came when Paul George found space out wide and sent a pass into the box, but Boston Prep Charter was there to clear it away before Drury could get on the end of it.

 

Moments later, Ben Harrington found some space inside the box, but once again, the Boston Prep Charter defense came up with a clearance to keep Drury off the scoreboard.

 

In the seventh minute, Drury finally broke through.

 

After working the ball out of the back, Diego Luna found space up the right side of the field and sent a great cross into the box. Izaiah Grandchamp was there to finish it off with a header past the keeper to give Drury an early 1-0 lead.

 

Boston Prep Charter answered just a few moments later, catching Drury against the run of play.

 

A clearance was deflected past the Drury defensive line, sending a Boston Prep Charter striker and goalkeeper Max Soto into a race for the ball. The striker got there first and slipped a shot past Soto to even the score at 1-1.

 

Boston Prep Charter hadn't created much going forward, but it made the most of its opportunity to get right back into the game.

 

Drury had trouble finding any real rhythm in possession for much of the first half. The Blue Devils were relying on long balls to get out on the counter, while Boston Prep Charter stayed organized defensively and looked to capitalize on any mistakes.

 

Drury continued to find some opportunities out wide and started getting crosses into dangerous areas, but couldn't find anyone on the other end to put them away.

 

The two teams went into the break leveled at a goal apiece. 

 

Drury came out moving the ball better in the second half, using quicker passes to get the ball out wide and find space behind the defense.

 

The Blue Devils continued to push forward, but that final pass and finishing touch were still missing.

 

Defensively, Drury remained solid after allowing the equalizer in the first half. The Blue Devils did a much better job limiting Boston Prep Charter's opportunities, keeping the play in the attacking third for much of the second half.

 

"I thought our defense was fine all game besides the goal when we were flat footed giving a breakaway," Drury's John Jacobbe said. "After that, we didn't give up any corners in the second half and only allowed one shot. We did what we needed to do but we have to play better as the competition gets tougher."

 

That pressure finally paid off in the 65th minute.

 

Drury sent a cross into the box that struck a Boston Prep Charter player's hand, giving the Blue Devils a chance to take the lead from the penalty spot.

 

Harrington stepped up and made no mistake, rifling the ball past the keeper to put Drury back in front, 2-1, with 15 minutes remaining.

 

“The penalty kick shows why I urge Ben to shoot the ball more,” Jacobbe said. “He has the ability to put the ball in the net. We did pass better in the second, but we didn’t get enough shots off that I would like. We created a good scoring chance that led to the handball in the box.”

 

Drury was able to hold on from there, closing out the 2-1 victory and moving on in the state tournament.

 

Drury will now turn its attention to No. 3-seeded Keefe Technical High School, with the two teams set to meet Monday afternoon.