By Tyler Maheu, Staff Sportswriter
Despite a stellar effort from senior goalkeeper Owen Whalen, the Woodstock Wasps boys varsity soccer squad fell to the Brattleboro Bears in a non-conference match on the road by a score of 6-1.
The Wasps came into last Thursday’s tilt coming off a 4-1 loss to Mount Anthony and were hoping to get into the win column.
They held strong in the early minutes, fending off many Brattleboro scoring chances. This included a stellar diving block from senior Dexter Namkung, who put his body in harm’s way to stop a screamer off the foot of the Bears’ Oscar Dawson.
Whalen would stop two more of the opposition’s shots before a penalty on Woodstock led to a penalty kick for the Bears with 26:12 left in the half. The sophomore Dawson would not be denied on the shot, scoring his first of a game-high four goals.
Brattleboro kept the pressure on, routinely finding themselves deep in Woodstock’s territory. “We try to put pressure on our opponents while being patient,” said Brattleboro’s newcomer head coach Jonathan Elwell.
The home unit would add another goal at the 10:43 mark, and Woodstock would see their first scoring opportunity turned away with around eight minutes remaining in the half. It was at this point that the floodgates would open.
The Bears rattled off three more goals in the final six minutes of the first half, ballooning Woodstock’s deficit to 5-0 in the blink of an eye. Many of the goals came from a clear lack of communication from the Wasps. “We have been trying different players in different positions,” explained first-year head coach Alex Montano. “It’s been difficult trying to work everyone together into a unit this early in the season.”
Woodstock would not go scoreless into the halftime break, however. Senior Elijah Tyrrell beat the opposing goalie off the dribble before passing to fellow senior Sam Bowdoin, who tickled the twine to put the Wasps on the board, 5-1, with 14 seconds remaining in the frame.
In the second half, Whalen continued his amazing play in net, turning away all but one of Brattleboro’s shot attempts. His skill was made all the more impressive due to his playing out of his normal position. “He’s only been working there for two weeks,” said Montano of one of his team captains. “He’s not too crazy about playing there, but he’s willing to do whatever helps us.” The senior finished the day having stopped 10 out of the 16 shots fired his way.
Despite the 6-1 final score, Montano was able to find silver linings in the defeat. “The first half was bad,” he said frankly. “But in the second, we did a lot better, only allowing one goal. We just have to move on to the next challenge.”
