Halverson Scores Twice as Hoosac Valley Blanks Taconic

PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- The Hoosac Valley boys soccer team Friday got two goals from a sophomore and one from a freshman in a 3-0 win over Taconic.

 

“And Jaydin [Cooper], the goalkeeper, is an eighth-grader,” noted Hurricanes coach Mike Russo. “So definitely the future, I think, should be OK.”

 

Jake Halverson scored the first two goals, and freshman Evan Norcross added some late insurance as Hoosac Valley (4-8-1) won for the second time in four games.

 

The Hurricanes finish their season on Saturday against St. Joseph with a chance to pick up their first two-game winning streak of the season.

 

“Last year, we lost seven in a row at the end of the year,” Russo said. “This year, we want to finish on a positive note. Today was one step.”

 

Hoosac took that step by taking control of the game in the second half on Friday at Taconic High.

 

Halverson’s first goal broke a scoreless tie midway through a back-and-forth first half.

 

The game-winning goal started with one of Cody Latimer’s 13 saves. The rebound was sent back on net by Hoosac’s Steven Crouch, but a Taconic defender made a sliding stop on Crouch’s shot only to see Halverson cash in the second rebound.

 

In the 54th minute, Halverson took a pass from Crouch and fired a shot from outside the 18 into the upper 90 to double the Hurricanes’ lead.

 

Later in the half, Fidel Acroman-Creu sent a cross from deep on the left wing, and Norcross finished to provide the final margin.

 

After a rough stretch that saw Hoosac lose to rival Drury and Pope Francis, Friday’s victory came as welcome relief.

 

“We needed a confidence win,” Russo said.

 

“We're reasonably young, and, to be honest, we have some inexperience. We have two starters who have never played before. Given that and the schedule against the North teams -- they're tough -- we knew it was going to be a challenging season.”

 

The finale comes Saturday at 11 a.m. at Clapp Park against the Crusaders. Taconic (4-12-1) also finishes on Saturday morning, at Kirvin Park against Pittsfield.