Lenox Boys, Girls Among Favorites in Soccer Tourney
The Lenox High boys and girls soccer teams each ride into their respective Western Massachusetts Divison 4 tournaments as the No. 2 seed.
The boys finished with a overall record of 11-5-2, securing the No. 2 slot behind Monson, who finished at 11-4-2.
Lenox's second-round foe will be the winner of Wednesday afternoon's game between No. 7 Gateway and No. 10 Pioneer Valley Christian.
"We were not entirely surprised by our high seed as we have had a pretty successful season," Lenox boys coach David Pugh said. "We beat Westfield Tech and Gateway earlier in the season; I feel that if we had split with Greylock and beaten Monument we would have made it very difficult for the committee in regards on the number one seed; our five losses came from very good teams, all of which are in the Division 1 and Division 3 tournaments."
The Millionaires played potential opponent Gateway back on Oct. 9 in Lenox; Lenox took the win, 5-0. Gateway finished its season with an overall record of 9-6-3.
As each team who makes it to post-season, the boys of Lenox plan to take it one game at a time. Pugh said his players are very focused and training diligently.
"Our opponents are in the same situation and we must be focused and give it our best shot," he said. "We have a young but talented group of athletes, I've asked them to make sure they have no regrets when we walk off the field for the last time this fall."
As for the Lenox girls, their fate lies in the game between No. 7 Smith Academy and No. 10 Pathfinder.
Their road to the tournament is one that was a main focus at the start of their season back on Sept. 8. The Millionaires got off to a rough start, losing two in a row to Monument Mountain and Southwick, but quickly bounced back winning three straight.
They finished the season with an overall record of (11-4-3). The second half of their season is when the peaked, taking seven in a row and tying their final game against Hoosac Valley 3-3.
It wasn't until their Oct. 20 game against Lee that head coach Kyle Zinchuk really started to think about their rank in the tournament. The 4-2 win over the Wildcats clinched the Berkshire County Title, securing post-season play.
"At that point we had four games left on our schedule and we knew the results of those games could end up having a big impact on our seeding, so it provided some extra motivation," Zinchuk said. "I think our win over Monument Mountain [Oct.22, 3-2] gave us a boost in terms of our seeding and our confidence.
"Looking at the other teams in the tournament, I thought we had a chance at the No. 3 seed. When I heard we received the No. 2 seed, it was definitely exciting, it was right in the area I thought we could be in, and with the Walker System, unless you do out all the math, it's always possible you end up a spot of two lower or higher than you thought."
Lenox fell behind No. 1 seeded Monson (15-0-3). With the second seed, the Millionaires earned a bye into the second round. Their opponent will be determined after Thursday's game between Smith Academy and Pathfinder.
The Millionaires faced Smith Academy in the regular season, taking a 3-2 win.
Zinchuk said their game against Smith Academy was a tight one; they moved the ball well and they have a strong keeper and they know to expect a tough game in they face them Saturday afternoon.
"Finishing the season strong has given us a lot of confidence heading into the tournament," he said. "I think we've had a lot of valuable experiences during the season, we've lost some tight games, we've had some come from behind games, we've had to hold onto a lead late in games as the other team pushes. We've seen all these different situations, so no matter what we've been there before and it gives us confidence."