Greylock's Late Rally Beats Monument
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — After starting the season off with nine straight wins, the Mount Greylock boys' soccer team has suffered its fair share of disappointments over a 10-day stretch that saw the Mounties go 0-2-1 against some of the toughest competition this season has to offer.While its been unhappy with some of its recent results, it's safe to say Greylock was more than satisfied with Monday's 2-1 come-from-behind win over Monument Mountain. The Spartans took a 1-0 lead on a goal by Jason Laramee with 11 minutes left in the game, but the Mounties rallied back with two late goals in the final six minutes to steal the game away, hand Monument its first loss of the year and give themselves sole possession of first place in the North Division.
Senior Nathan Majumder finished the win off with 12 seconds left to play, getting his foot on a pass from sophomore Eric Hirsch and tapping the ball past Spartans' goalie Aaron House (one save) for the dramatic victory. It was the first time the two teams had met since Greylock defeated Monument 1-0 in last year's Western Mass. semifinal game.
"It was an unbelievable come-from-behind win for our team today," Mounties head coach Blair Dils said. "Just when it looked like Monument was going to get revenge for last year's playoff loss, the Majumder boys took over and swung the match our way."
Nathan's brother Jonah, who normally anchors Greylock's backline, had his share of ups and downs on Monday. It was his inability to clear a ball off a muddy field that allowed Laramee to line up a one-time blast past a helpless Sean Houston in the Mounties' goal. Jonah quickly made up for his mistake, however, moving up to central midfield and taking a back pass from Nathan on the run. Jonah took one touch and drilled a shot from 25 yards out that sailed over House's head and into the left corner of the goal to tie the game at 1-1 with just over six minutes left in the game.
The match was as close as could be expected between the top two teams in Berkshire County. Greylock (10-2-1, 5-0-1) held a slim 8-7 edge in shots, while the Spartans (9-1-1, 4-1-1) earned an 8-4 advantage in corner kicks. Nathan's goal, which was set up by a great endline run by Hirsch, proved to be the difference in the game.
"I was content to play for the tie, but the boys would have none of it," Dils said. "Jonah again figured in the play when he sent a curling ball all the way across the field. Eric picked it up on the left side at the top of the 18, made a nice endline run and slotted the perfect pass across the six to Nathan, who just got a foot in in front of their keeper and skinned the ball into the open goal."
Dils said senior Keath Machado played a key role on the defensive end, while Houston corralled five saves in net to pick up the win. The Mounties' coach was well aware of the quality of opponent his team just defeated and the challenge his squad faces when they play at Monument in the season finale on October 29.
"Monument is an excellent team and as good of an opponent we've played this season," Dils said. "Even though it was a regular season game, it was a special win for us. There was a playoff feel to the game, despite the early afternoon time and terrible weather conditions. We were in a bit of a funk after the last three games, and a thrilling win such as this one should give us great energy for our next few matches."
Greylock hosts Drury next at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.