Lenox Boys Fall in Penalty Kicks in Western Mass Final
WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Westfield Tech keeper Logan Gendron made the only save of a penalty kick shootout Tuesday to lead the Tigers to a Western Massachusetts Class D title over Lenox at West Springfield High School.
The teams battled through 80 minutes of regulation and two 10-minute sudden death overtime periods without finding the back of the net.
And the offensive struggles continued for Westfield Tech in the first “inning” of PKs, when its first shooter fired high of the goal to give Lenox a 1-0 lead.
But the Millionaires missed the mark on their next try in the best-of-five shootout, and David Bulatov evened the score for WTA at 1-1 with three innings remaining.
Gabriel Merino converted for Lenox, and Emanoil Litvac did the same for the Tigers to send it to the fourth inning, where Gendron made the biggest save of the night.
Isaac Ribeiro converted for WTA to give it a 3-2 lead going to the last round. Lenox’s Mike Butler put home a shot to put the pressure on the Tigers’ Sean Johnson, and Johnson delivered to secure the regional title.
For Lenox coach Juan Ramos, the shootout loss stung but the penalty kick format is not problematic.
“I’m OK with the way they do it,” Ramos said. “I know there’s been a lot of discussion about that, but it’s OK. It’s thrilling. It’s a moment that provides a lot of drama and all that stuff. So, yeah, I’m OK with the way you finish.
“This is the first time I’ve lost one.”
And it was the first loss in 10 days for Lenox (5-12), which went 3-2 in its last five but is on the bubble for consideration for the state tournament.
According to the last MIAA Division 5 power rankings, the Millionaires were No. 31 going into the weekend at 4-11; Tuesday night’s game does not count toward Lenox’s record for purposes of state tournament ranking, meaning it will be 5-11 when rankings are locked in for Wednesday’s release of tournament brackets. The top 32 teams in the 82-team division, plus those teams that finish .500 or better, make it into the tourney.
As for the Western Mass tournament, Lenox allowed just one goal in three games on the way to its runner-up finish.
Vincent Dragonetti made 10 saves on Tuesday night against Westfield Tech.
But neither Dragonetti nor Gendron saw much business in the first 40 minutes.
The first half was played mostly in the middle part of the field as neither team’s defense allowed much in the way of space or shots in the final third at both ends.
That changed quickly at the start of the second when Bulatov took a try from the middle of the 18 in the 45th minute that only stayed out of the net because of a hustling play from an alert Lenox back.
Two minutes later, Ian Bridges fired a shot on goal at the other end for the Millionaires, setting the tone for a back-and-forth but ultimately fruitless 40 minutes. After combining for three shots on goal in the first half, the teams combined for 12 shots on goal in the second.
But Lenox, which scored 15 goals in the four games leading up to Tuesday, could not solve WTA’s defense through the OTs, despite a slim, 3-2, advantage in shots on goal in the extra sessions.
“We kept changing personnel because we had a really hard time with the turf,” Ramos said. “We couldn’t control the ball very well. So I tried to find people that could do it. That’s why we kept changing things.”
It’s been a season of changes at Lenox, and the first-year coach was happy with the way his players adjusted and kept battling.
“They haven’t [quit] all season long,” Ramos said. “It’s my first year, as you know, and it’s been a transition because I just did different stuff than the last coach – not to say it’s better, just different, and the guys had to adjust to that.”