Acton-Boxborough 1-1 Weston
21' Davis (Kononenko) 3'
Lineup: Green, Davis Brown, D. Meagher, Doelp, T. Meagher, Abbate, Davis, Bloomstone, Rodrigues, Lush, Conwill
Subs used: Kononenko, Rosenfield, Chacon, Gonzalez
Heading into the game with Weston the Colonials were missing 5 players due to illness and an additional 2 players to injury. The Colonials refused to use this as an excuse to post a solid performance against a strong Weston side. It is times like these when the Acton-Boxborough teams show what "team" really means as all of the players in the team stepped up to make significant contributions including Alex Gonzalez, who made a solid varsity debut.
Oliver Davis was a threat right from the opening whistle down the left side. He was able to get in behind the Wildcat defense on a few occasions and serve the ball across the box to set the tone for AB. It was an AB corner that resulted in a lightning quick counter attack from Weston that resulted in the opening goal only 3 minutes into the game. Many teams would have folded after conceding the early goal especially given the circumstances surrounding the game but these Colonials were not deterred.
David Lush began to dominate the midfield. His quick passing and superb first touch gave AB the possession that it needed to get right back into the game. Lush, Jeremy Bloomstone and Dan Abbate all moved the ball quickly to play in Davis, Eliot Conwill and Igor Rodrigues. An Acton-Boxborough corner from the left side was played into the box by Abbate. It fell to Kevin Kononenko at the back post about 12 yards out from goal. He knocked the ball back into the danger area where Davis was able to turn an unleash a left footed blast into the left post for the equalizer.
The second half also started brightly for the Colonials. This time it was AB goalkeeper, Alex Green, who would set the tone for the half. He snapped the ball out of the air off a shot from the left side at a tight angle. His body language suggested that Weston would not score again. Green made several big time saves in the second half to help to secure the point for the Colonials. He was helped out in defense through the strong play of Dillon Meagher and Matt Doelp who blanketed the tricky Weston forwards. Tom Meagher and Seth Davis Brown anchored the fulback slots. They both defended well and joined into the attack when appropriate.
At times, the Colonials were easily the better team on the field and could have won the game. The best chance resulted from the best flowing move of soccer this season. Jose Chacon, who was busy up front, laid a ball back for a midfielder who played wide right for Kononenko. Davis Brown overlapped around the outside to cross towards the far post where it was met by Ben Rosenfield who had gotten position on his defender. His header narrowly missed the far post.
At the very least, AB deserved a point from the game. Credit to the players who consistently work hard in training to improve every day. It showed when it counted.
Man of the match: David Lush
Next match: at Boston Latin
Friday 10/16
4:00 Kickoff
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