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Acton-Boxborough 1-1 Bedford
13' Rentschler 28'
Lineup: Smith, C. Li, Bloomstone, D. Meagher, Cadogan, Davis, Rentschler, Lush, Karkantis, Conwill, Kollm
Subs used: T. Meagher, Kashin, Tripathi, Goldman, Paolino
Bedford traveled to AB boasting an undefeated record and a top 10 ranking in the state. The game had a playoff feel with neither team creating many clear cut chances. The Colonials dominated the early going as Bedford were content to sit back with 11 players behind the ball and counter attack. This allowed an aggressive AB side to establish a rhythm and dictate the flow of the game. Peter Kollm and Eliot Conwill pressured the Bucs defense to force turnovers in the AB attacking half. Andy Rentschler, Niko Karkantis, David Lush and Oliver Davis stepped up to win loose balls in the midfield to keep the pressure on the Bucs. The Colonials jumped out to the lead in the 13th minute. Davis drove a corner to the far post where it was sent back across the face of goal towards the far post by Karkantis. The ball was heading towards the corner of the net before it was cleared off the line by the Bedford defense. Rentschler stepped up to win
the clearance and drilled a low, left footed bomb just inside the far post for the well deserved lead.
With the goal, Bedford were forced to come out of their defensive posture. They began launching the ball forward and sending players further upfield to search for the equalizer. They would draw level in the 28th minute. A long, cross field pass was delivered from the right side. The partial clearance by the AB defense fell to the determined Bedford forward who lashed a left footed shot across the grain inside the right post.
Neither team created many chances in the second half. The Colonials had to defend against the bright sun that popped out at half time but they rarely let the Bedford players in behind them. Chris Li was especially strong for the Colonials in defense, thwarting attack after attack. The best chances of the half fell to Acton-Boxborough. Frankie Paolino worked hard to get himself into a good position deep in the Bedford penalty area. His first effort was blocked. He managed to pick up the free ball for a second attempt but it too was blocked. He poked the rebound through a mass of defenders to get off one more shot that gained some momentum before it, too, was cleared away from danger. The best chance of the half for either team was the result from an Acton-Boxborough long throw in from the left side about 25 yards out from goal. Dillon Meagher was amongst the mass of players who challenged for the ball at the near post. The
ensuing header glanced off the underside of the bar and over the goal line but the goal was disallowed because of a foul in the mix of players.
Next match: at Weston
Tuesday October 7
4:00 kickoff | |
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