Taconic Cashes in on Set Pieces in Road Win

LENOX, Mass. – Samuel Latorre set up a pair of goals with on-target corner kicks, and the Taconic boys soccer team Wednesday earned a 3-0 win over Lenox

 

Charles Mull, David Gonzalez and Lucas Parise each scored a goal, and William Barber made 12 saves as the Thunder won its second straight to improve to 5-3-1 this season.

 

The game-winner came in the sixth minute when Latorre’s corner from the left wing was headed into the goal by Mull.

 

“That feels great,” Taconic coach Jason Keller said of his team’s ability to convert two corners in the win. “We’ve practiced for hours doing corner kicks, just doing corner kick drills, ‘til we’re blue in the face.

 

“It’s nice to see them pay off, finally. … I think we had one corner kick [goal] in the past. I think this was our second and third this year. And we didn’t give up any corner kick goals, which is also something we’ve tried to work on because we’ve not been so great at that.”

 

In fact, Taconic did not give up anything at all, posting its second shutout win of the season.

 

It got an insurance goal with 13 minutes, 48 seconds left in the first half when Mateo Morales set up David Gonzales, who finished from the left wing to make it 2-0.

 

And that is where it stood at half-time despite four first-half shots on goal from the Millionaires.

 

“To be very honest, it felt like we actually dominated that game,” Lenox coach Jedd Hall said. “But, it’s like I just said to the boys: The ‘unlucky’ gods were watching because we just couldn’t seem to get a break. We had, I don’t know, 15, 20 shots on goal into the keeper’s hands or hits into the crossbar or the side posts.

 

“It’s frustrating, because we’re playing good soccer right now.”

 

Lenox (1-5-2) came into the game off its first victory of the fall, a home win over Mount Everett on Monday.

 

And in the opening stages of the second half, it felt like the Millionaires were going to get back in the game or, at least, avoid being shut out for the first time this fall.

 

In the 42nd minute, ninth-grader Omar Rodriguez banged a shot off the post.

 

Seven minutes later, senior Langston Cotton produced a dangerous chance with a direct free kick from the right wing near midfield., touching a off a stretch in which the Millionaires earned a corner kick that Barber had to punch out of danger and a shot on goal by Addison Hall from the middle of the 18 – all in a span of about two minutes.

 

“The defense held on at some points,” Taconic’s Keller said. “They didn’t always look pretty, but they got out of it. And thankfully, we have a strong keeper. Will [Barber] was always in the right spots today, which saved us a couple of times. We’re really fortunate to have him this year.”

 

And Taconic was fortunate to play the second half of the home-and-home against Lenox at the Millionaires’ home, instead of at Berkshire Community College, where the teams played to a 1-1 tie in the first meeting.

 

“We’re not used to playing on the turf,” Keller said. “We don’t practice on turf. So we never play our best game. And [BCC] is a much bigger field than ours. So we kind of fall apart. We really need to prepare for BCC in the future.

 

“This [Lenox’s home pitch] is more our size field and more our game.”

 

After weathering the storm in the first 11 minutes of the second half, Taconic tacked on a third goal to get some separation.

 

Again, Latorre teed it up from the left-wing corner. And this time, Parise one-touched a shot past a diving Michael McLaughlin (eight saves).

 

Taconic is home on the Valentine Road campus on Friday against Easthampton.

 

Lenox is off until Monday when it goes to Wahconah.

 

Photos from this game to come.