Are you a half-empty or half-full sports fan? Wednesday night’s Boys soccer game would put that question to the test. Was Watertown the better team and just ran into some hard luck, but found a way to salvage a tie? Or did the Raiders let a win slip away because of a few lapses and are fortunate to even get a tie? Or is the truth somewhere in-between? Who knows, but ultimately all that matters is what the young men in Watertown uniforms think, and how they respond Saturday night at home versus second place Melrose.
Watertown controlled the play the entire first half as a steady misty rain fell sideways, in increasing volume, as the half progressed. Wakefield was a step behind, Watertown was making connections and creating scoring chances. Salvi and Kurth and Hughes and Anker and Foley and Shrestha and Tonyan and Galeano were on their collective game upfront. The backline – Shea and Marques and Brennock and Casey protected and forced the ball up field. Goal keeper Declan Chapron was hardly tested as a result. The Raiders turned all that solid play into a 1-0 lead thanks to a direct kick by Gavin Foley from 25 yards out that he bent right into the top right corner of the net 14:32 into the first half.
Wakefield didn’t come close to threatening until the final minute. They called a timeout prior to a free kick from 25 yards away. Their set play failed, but the ball went out of bounds off the Raiders and Wakefield got their only corner kick of the half with seconds left. They threatened, but didn’t score. Perhaps though, it was a harbinger of things to come? Wakefield looked alive to start the second half, and only 1:45 into the second half Wakefield scored on a scorcher from 30-yards out. It looked like Chapron had a beat on the ball, and he laid out to save it, but somehow the ball snuck underneath him to tie the game at 1.
The game remained tied, with teams trading lulls and scoring chances. Wakefield was a much better team than what they displayed in the first half, and Watertown was good, but not as good as they displayed in the first half. Regardless, it was anyone’s game until 7:59 remained in the game. It was here that a fun and entertaining and competitive game got really interesting. Wakefield sent a ball down the right side. Chapron started out of his goal. One Watertown defender and one Wakefield forward chased after the ball. Chapron looked as though he won the race and had a control of the ball, if not just a bit precariously. What happened next, and what call should or shouldn’t have been made — well, in the words of the late and great Warner Wolf, let’s go to the videotape. Unfortunately, I don’t have replay up in the press box.
Either Chapron lost handle of the ball (and maybe never really had control) or the Wakefield forward was guilty of kicking a goalie-controlled ball out of his hands and the play should have been whistled dead — but what definitely happened was that the ball did get loose, Chapron stopped thinking the play was going to be whistled dead (but never was), Wakefield took the ball and kicked it into the empty net and started celebrating a sudden 2-1 lead. Ten minutes later, the two officials who either got to know one-another a lot better or debated what the call should be, ruled that the goal should stand.
And right about at this point Watertown fans were probably looking at the glass as half empty. For the next five minutes Wakefield controlled the play and stifled Watertown’s attempts at sending the ball towards the Wakefield goal. And then suddenly, the Raiders broke through and forced a corner kick, their seventh of the half. Gavin Foley took every corner kick on this night, and just about every one of those kicks gave Watertown a chance to make something happen. Number seven didn’t quite connect, but it went out of play off Wakefield. Corner kick number eight was magical, though. And remember, the final minutes of play don’t tick down on the field scoreboard. By MIAA rules, only the referee on the field knows how much time remains. Foley knew this and wasted no time setting up his corner kick. It went off his foot with the perfect height and the perfect distance, and No. 4, Pietro Marques, out-leapt everyone and headed the ball into the net to tie the game at two.
Believe it or not, Watertown regained possession after the ensuing Wakefield kickoff and forced corner kick number nine of the half. Another beauty by Galvin was headed by Salvi just over the net, a miracle win just missed by inches. So, sports fans, what’s the verdict — was this 2-2 tie a half-full or half-empty result? I vote half-full. Watertown was overall the better team, they didn’t hang their collective heads after falling behind with only eight minutes left, and they should feel darn good about being 3-0-5 after 8 games and in first place in the Freedom Division of the Middlesex League.
Soccer Night in Watertown is Saturday night Sept. 27 at 6:30 pm versus Melrose. Be there or be square!
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Scoring Summary
1st Half
25:28… Watertown 1 Wakefiled 0… Gavin Foley
2nd Half
38:15… Watertown 1 Wakefield 1
7:59… Wakefield 2 Watertown 1
1:30… Wakefield 2 Watertown 2… Pietro Marques
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1 2 F
Wakefield 0 2 2
Watertown 1 1 2