NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – Michael Barnes scored two set-piece goals, and Ben Harris made 16 saves to lead the McCann Tech boys soccer team to their third straight win, a 4-2 victory over Taconic on Friday afternoon.
The Hornets survived a first half in which Taconic dominated but managed just one goal to go to the break tied, 1-1.
Then McCann Tech got goals from Zachary Howland and Rocco Cellana in the first six minutes of the second half and never looked back.
The difference between the first 40 minutes and the last was like night and day, but McCann Tech assistant coach Mickey Buck said he did not make any major adjustments at half-time.
“Heart,” said Buck, who was filling in for head coach Stephen McAllister. “The heart of these kids won this game. And that’s all it was.
“They’re finally starting to come together, working as a team. We’ve been struggling with communication since the beginning. And today they just basically outhustled [Taconic]. They won with heart today.”
Barnes kept his team within striking distance in the first half, when the Thunder outshot its hosts, 11-2.
But McCann Tech scored the game’s first goal after a counter in the 22nd minute.
Eric Rougeau made a play at the top of the 6 in front of McCann Tech’s goal to break up a Taconic scoring chance and gave the ball to Ashton Solomon, who played it up to midfield.
There, Howland made a sliding tackle to take the ball away from a Taconic back, popped up and made a run through the middle of the field toward the Thunder goal. Taconic keeper Jeremiah Asesno came off his line and made a play on Howland at the top of the 18, but the official ruled it a foul and awarded McCann Tech a penalty kick.
Barnes buried the PK to make it 1-0, Hornets.
Six minutes later, Taconic’s Frederick Yankey leveled the score with an assist from Andres Toapanta, and that is where things stood after 40 minutes.
Two minutes, 35 seconds into the second half, McCann Tech’s Barnes took a cross from Kolton Buck deep on the right wing and scored to make it 2-1.
Three minutes later, Cellana scored to give the Hornets a two-goal advantage.
The Thunder responded in the 52nd minute.
Jeremiah Cudjoe did the honors, with the second assist of the game from Toapanta, to get Taconic within a goal at 3-2.
And the Thunder nearly got the equalizer in the 72nd minute, but Toapanta’s try from 20 yards hit the top of the crossbar.
Moments later, McCann Tech put the game out of reach. A throw-in by Barnes on the left-wing touchline was touched by a Taconic defender with his arm just outside the 18. And Barnes struck the ensuing direct kick from 19 yards around the wall and inside the far post to make it 4-2 with 6:14 on the clock.
The loss dropped the Thunder to 3-7-1; it is 1-6-1 since beating McCann Tech, 2-1, in Pittsfield back on Sept. 10.
The Hornets (6-1-1) have not lost since that setback to the Thunder.
Buck said the big difference in his team four weeks later was its ability to finish..
“We should have won the first game,” Buck said. “They beat us, 2-1, but we played them tough the whole game. So they knew what to expect coming in today. Today, we executed. Last game, we had a lot of opportunities but couldn’t execute. So that’s the difference today.”
McCann Tech goes to Westfield Tech on Tuesday.
Taconic hosts Hoosac Valley on Monday.
