Ryan-Kut's Hat Trick Leads Hoosac Boys

Hoosac Valley's Sean Ryan-Kut scored three goals at Friday's game.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — In large part, Friday's Hoosac-Drury high school boys soccer game came down to a three-minute stretch that spanned the first and second halves.

Drury missed its big chance. Hoosac's Sean Ryan-Kut did not miss his.

In fact, Ryan-Kut did not miss much on Friday afternoon.

 

The Hoosac senior scored three goals and assisted on a fourth in a 4-1 victory over the Blue Devils for Hoosac's first win of the 2013 campaign.

 

"It feels so good to put that last goal in," Ryan-Kut said. "The time before I should have had it. I just missed an easy goal over the top, but it just feels really good to put that last goal in."

 

Ryan-Kut's biggest goal came 37 minutes before he completed the hat trick.

 

He scored the goal that put Hoosac on top for good and changed the game's momentum in the second minute of the second half. Junior David Haley set up Ryan-Kut with a cross from high on the right side of the box, and Ryan-Kut beat Drury goalkeeper Joe Liporace (12 saves) to break a 1-1 tie.

 

But just moments before — in game time anyway — Drury had its chance to break that stalemate at the end of the first half.

Hoosac keeper Colby Ells (two saves) was whistled for a handball outside the 18-yard box as time wound down in the period, and Drury rushed to get off a free kick before the 'Canes could set their defense.

 

But the shot sailed high of the crossbar, and Drury (1-1) was forced to settle for a tie at intermission after erasing an early Hoosac lead.

 

Hoosac coach Camilo Bermudez knew how important a Drury goal there could have been.

"Credit to [Drury coach Greg] Caproni's team," Bermudez said. "They had us on our toes. If they find a way to sneak in a second [goal], it would have been a whole different game. ... That could have been a lot different."

 

"An early goal in the second half helps, for sure. We got it, and we'll move forward with that one."

 

Hoosac's Ryan-Kut scored an early goal in the first half as well, an unassisted tally in the seventh minute.

 

But Drury hung tough, and in the 31st minute of the game, freshman Connor Meehan blasted a shot from the top right corner of the penalty box that snuck inside the far post to make it 1-1.

 

"He's going to put the ball in the net a lot," Caproni said. "That's what he does. He's the hardest working kid in Berkshire County, and it shows because he makes things happen."

 

After Hoosac regained the lead at the start of the second half, the momentum was squarely on the Hurricanes' side, and Drury did not manage a single shot on goal after the break.

 

Meanwhile, Ryan-Kut set up Shaun Knapp to make it a 3-1 lead midway through the period, and Ryan-Kut converted a Khalil Karch feed in the 38th minute of the game for the final margin.

 

In between, the 'Canes had several near misses involving first-year soccer player and Hoosac sophomore Dante Sandifer. First, Sandifer started a chance with a strong run down the right wing, but Liporace was able to stop Ryan-Kut's shot. Next Sandifer was on the receiving end of a feed from David Frye, but the sophomore's shot was saved by Liporace. Finally, Sandifer set up Ryan-Kut for the chance he later lamented as "an easy goal" missed "over the top."

 

Liporace was a big reason Drury stayed in the game as long as it did.

 

"Holy Moly, a whole different kid from last year," Bermudez said. "Totally technical, under control, good hands. That's going to really help them when they get into more of the Southern [Division] games, for sure."

 

Drury travels to Lenox on Tuesday. Hoosac plays its third road game in a row at Mount Greylock that afternoon.