Granby Boys Come Back to Beat Mount Everett
GRANBY, Mass. -- The Granby boys soccer team Friday rallied from deficits of 1-0 and 2-1 to defeat Mount Everett, 3-2, in the quarter-finals of the Western Massachusetts Divison 4 tournament.
Weishan Li scored with 14 minutes, 16 seconds left to play to break a 2-2 tie and send the Rams on to the sectional semi-finals against Monson.
Mount Everett (12-3-4) saw a seven-game unbeaten streak come to an end, but first-year coach Joshua King sees big things in the Eagles' future.
"I'm proud of how hard my five seniors have worked," King said. "I'm proud of everyone. We're a pretty tiny school, and we're doing the best we can, which is good.
"Today's a tough one to take, but I think overall the season has been a success. Hopefully, these guys use that as motivation for next year.
"It was definitely a physical game. I think our guys have got to toughen up a little bit in the offseason. But like I told them, there's no reason why we can't get back here next year."
On Friday, the Eagles took advantage of a stiff breeze at their backs to produce the game's first goal.
Midway through the first half, Nick Tomich sent a free kick from midfield into the 18, where Brendan Dempsey set up Dan Litchfield to give Mount Everett a 1-0 lead.
That stood for about nine minutes before Granby's Colby Forbush turned on a ball at the top of the 18 and fired a shot that glanced off the post and past Eagles keeper Ryan Meyer (four saves).
Mount Everett immediately answered that goal, scoring 31 seconds later when Litchfild set up Eduardo Rodriguez with a cross from the right side through the middle of the 18. Rodriguez finished to give Mount Everett a 2-1 lead going into half-time.
At the half, of course, the teams switchd ends of the field. And that wind that had helped the Eagles maintain a positional advantage over the first 40 minutes turned against them.
"We talked a little bit pre-game," King said. "My assistant coach talked to the three captains about how we wanted to take the wind at our back in the second half rather than fight against it.
"We lost the toss."
Granby (14-3-3) evened the score about 10 minutes into the half on a penalty kick that was awarded when Forbush was tripped near the top of the 18.
The game-winner came midway through the second half when Forbush set up Li with a through ball up the middle of the field. Meyer came off his line to make a play on the ball, but Li managed to keep control, get behind Meyer and find the back of the net.
The Eagles generated some chances late -- a Tomich header on an Ellis Waldman free kick from midfield and another header off a corner kick in the closing minutes.
But Rams keeper Zachary Gorham (four saves) was able to preserve his team's one-goal advantage.