Baruch, Lenox Top Wahconah

DALTON, Mass. -- The Lenox boys soccer team played a dominating first half to earn a 2-0 lead and walked away with a 4-1 win at Wahconah on Tuesday.

 

But in between, there were some hairy moments.

 

Nic Baruch had a hat trick to lead the Millionaires (3-1). He helped set up Luke Murphy's goal and scored one of his own before half-time to give the visitors a two-goal lead.

 

But midway through the second half, Wahconah, which was outshot 6-0 in the first half, got on the board when Nick Schneider sent a cross from the right wing for Cole Accardi, who finished to make it 2-1.

 

Moments later, Schneider sent another cross from the right side for Accardi, but Lenox keeper Matt Tibbetts made the save to preserve the lead.

 

"Any time you play Wahconah, they're a very disciplined team," Lenox coach Dave Pugh said. "They hold their positions well, and they take advantage of opportunities.

 

"Two-zero is sometimes the worst score in soccer because one score can change the momentum of the game. We got that one goal super early, maybe a minute into the game. I was hoping for a bigger margin at half-time, maybe 3-0, so I could work some of my players in. But it didn't work out that way."

 

Just 59 seconds into the game, Baruch fired a shot that carromed off keeper Anthony Dondiego to the feet of Murphy, who buried his shot to put Lenox on the board.

 

Midway through the half, Matt Heim set up Baruch to make it 2-0.

 

Nick Montelone nearly got that third goal Pugh was hoping for with about seven minutes left before half-time. He played a cross from the right wing off the foot of Baruch, but Dondiego came up with the save to keep his team within two goals.

 

After Lenox withstood that second-half flurry with its one-goal lead in tact, Baruch scored on a through ball from Michael Abdalla to make it 3-1 in the 64th minute. Eleven minutes later, Abdalla set up Baruch again, this time in the top right corner of the 18, for the final goal of the game.

 

Wahconah (0-3) will look for its first win on Monday at Hampshire.

 

Lenox has another big test on Thursday afternoon at Kirvin Park against Pittsfield.

 

"As I said last week, our win against Monument last week wasn't going to mean a whole lot if we didn't take care of Wahconah tonight," Pugh said. "We've got PHS, who just had a big win tonight against Greylock. So Thursday has become an even bigger game for us because right now Pittsfield and us are the last two undefeated teams in the Berkshire North."