Pioneer Valley Beats McCann with Two Early Goals
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- An undermanned McCann Tech defense was no match for a Pioneer Valley Christian boys' soccer team that peppered the Hornets' net with 32 shots on Monday.The Eagles scored a pair of goals within a six-minute span midway through the first half to account for all of the scoring in Pioneer's 2-0 win at home. The first goal came 17:40 into the game on a rather strange sequence of events. Alex Jefson was in the right place at the right time when a McCann defender tried to clear a ball out of the Hornets' box. The ball bounced off the post and off of Jefson into the net.
Pioneer's second goal came in the 24th minute and in a much more conventional way. Finn McCool took a ball down the right side of the field, drew the McCann defense and goalkeeper Connor Vazquez out of the net and placed a nice shot into the left-corner of the goal.
"The backline did a decent job, considering we only had Dylan Walker as the regular starter," Hornets head coach Adam Kozik said. "This game came down to the basics of midfield play: winning the ball and controlling the ball once won. Pioneer Valley outmatched us in this area and won the game because of it. This was another good lesson for our team."
Kozik said Walker played a big role in leading the McCann defense, while Vazquez also stayed busy by making 21 saves. The Hornets (2-3-1) are back in action again on Tuesday with a home game against Commerce at 4 p.m.