Cosmos shake Jacks pressure, win 3-1

After an early-game breakdown that allowed Springfield to score two quick goals, the Windsor boys soccer team scrambled back to cut the deficit to 2-1 and knocked on the door for the tying tally, before the Cosmos put the game away with a late score en route to a 3-1 victory Wednesday afternoon.

http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20110929/SPORTS/709299877

Published September 29, 2011 in the Rutland Herald
Cosmos shake Jacks pressure, win 3-1

By POODY WALSH
Herald Correspondent

CORNISH, N.H. - After an early-game breakdown that allowed Springfield to score two quick goals, the Windsor boys soccer team scrambled back to cut the deficit to 2-1 and knocked on the door for the tying tally, before the Cosmos put the game away with a late score en route to a 3-1 victory Wednesday afternoon.

The game was played in Cornish, N.H., which has become Windsor’s home away from home after losing its field to Tropical Storm Irene.

Springfield, because of past successes, has been moved up to the Marble Valley’s League’s A Division and has a schedule loaded with Division I teams and despite having a talented team came into the game with just a 3-2 record.

“They are certainly the best team we are going to face this year,” said Windsor coach Andy Tufts, whose senior-laden C Division team is 2-3-0.

While Paul Kendall, the Springfield coach, is not delighted with the schedule, he realizes that it has the potential to make his team better for the Division II tournament. The downside to the schedule is that his final placement in the divisional ratings could force Springfield to face an upper-echelon opponent early in the tourney.

The Cosmos certainly were not worried about the postseason Wednesday as they scored two goals in the first six minutes.

The score stayed that way until there were 27 minutes to pay in the second half when the Yellow Jackets came alive and started taking control of the game, cutting the lead to 2-1, and had the upper hand until the Cosmos broke free to get the third goal and hold on for the win.

“I wish we could have started the game with that late game sense of urgency,” Tufts said.

That sense of urgency that Taft was looking for was apparently at the other end of the field. With just over two minutes gone in the first half Springfield’s Jake Sargent let got a high-arcing shot from 25 yards out that Windsor keeper Levi Brown tracked, but he mis-timed his leap and the ball ticked off his fingers and into the cage.

The second Springfield score was simply a well-directed kick from Devin Brady that he tucked under the crossbar.

As the minutes ticked off and the game rolled into the second half there was a switch in momentum as Windsor got that sense of energy that Tufts was looking for and cut the lead to 2-1 as David Young curled in a shot from the top of the 18.

That was followed by a serious Windsor rush on Springfield keeper Tim Hildreth, the ball rolling and bouncing around the front of the cage like it was a pinball game. Hildreth made one stop, but the ball caromed away, a second shot was trickled in and he pounced on it to take off the pressure.

Having escaped that charge Springfield was able to take a deep breath and put the game away when Peter Kendall got the Cosmos’ third tally.

“You always worry about a letdown when you get up by two goals like that,” Kendall said. He thought the spark that ignited the third goal came from outside fullback Jeff Fuller.

“He got aggressive and I think that got us going,” Kendall said.

Springfield, which hosts Mount Anthony on Friday, had an 11-8 edge in shots. Windsor is back in Cornish Saturday for a 2 p.m. game with Bellows Falls.