Mascenic boys’ soccer bars the door to Wilton-Lyndeborough

Gabe Hileman (right, in striped jersey) puts Mascenic on the board.

Gabe Hileman (right, in striped jersey) puts Mascenic on the board. PHOTO BY DAVID ALLEN

WLC goalkeeper Ben Jacob clears the ball.

WLC goalkeeper Ben Jacob clears the ball. —PHOTO BY DAVID ALLEN

By DAVID ALLAN

For the Ledger-Transcript

Published: 09-10-2024 12:01 PM

Mascenic's Elijah Blais boiled his team’s 4-0 win over Wilton-Lyndeborough Friday down to one factor --“This match proved the effectiveness of our defensive line.”

Both teams applied consistent pressure in each other ends of the pitch, resulting in a matchup that played out more evenly than the final score suggests. Mascenic began flooding WLC’s zone early in the first half, and  Lucas Leroux nearly broke the ice early, once with a scissor kick just wide of the net and later with a header that was over the crossbar.

It wasn’t until the closing minutes of the first half that Mascenic drew first blood, with Simon Ruis feeding Gabe Hileman to break the scoreless tie.

“That’s Simon’s first assist in a game in the U.S.,” center back Elijah Barthemess pointed out, noting that Ruis is a native of Spain.

Warriors’ goalkeeper Ben Jacob was continually tested by the Viking offense and held them at bay for nearly the first 40 minutes, demonstrating why he was named honorable mention All-State last season. WLC’s Nate Gill aided Jacob with a steal in the first half, and Mascenic goalie Quinn Krook kept the door shut tight at his end.

“One kick and we’re tied,” WLC coach Dan Nelson reminded his crew at halftime, and while both teams continued the back-and-forth rushes in the second half, it wasn’t until 25:19 was left when Chuck Phillips got the ball to Hunter Thompson, who buried it past Jacob.

Thompson struck again with 13:49 left, assisted by Hileman to make it 3-0. The Warriors had a greater presence in Mascenic’s end by now, but this did not materialize into more shots on goal. Both teams played with lots of passing, and this paid off for the Vikings when Chase Sasner made it 4-0 with the help of Ruis, who notched another assist.

“Good passing!” is what Viking coach Joe Hileman pointed to as a factor in his squad’s victory. Striker Ezra Haavisto credited “thinking small,” adding that “We didn’t let aggression take over.” The truth in this statement was clear, as for the 80 minutes of play involved no yellow cards for either team. Nodding his head at Haavisto’s point, Gabe Hileman was pleased that “The offense really stepped up in the second half.”

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Nelson expressed pride in his Warriors, commending the pressure they kept up to the last whistle. Captain Harry Krug, another honorable mention All-State selection, noted that “Mascenic is always a tough team, and we have some new players this year, and a lot of grit.”

Jacob, who is second in New Hampshire record books for saves in goal for a high school season, was walking proof of that grit, as some bloody scrapes below his left knee attested.

“There’s plenty of soccer ahead of us,” Nelson said.

The 1-1 WLC squad was scheduled to play Monadnock High School on the road, followed by a home game with Portsmouth Christian Academy Wednesday and a road game with Concord Christian on Friday. Mascenic was scheduled to put its 2-0 record on the line at home against Concord Christian Monday, followed by a road game with Hillsdale Wednesday and a home game against Conant High School Saturday.