NEWPORT – The Newport boys and girls varsity soccer teams welcomed Concord Christian on Thursday evening for their senior games. Although the Tigers dropped both games, they played right with the Concord Christian boys (10-3-1) and girls (9-4-1).
Boys: Concord Christian 3, Newport 1
From the start of the game, the Tigers wanted to come out strong and push Concord’s defense back. They made a few great plays in the first half, but couldn’t find much of a breakaway. Newport let up two goals in the first half. Tigers’ Isaac Lafayette was able to get a nice shot inside the 18 to make the game 2-1.
“We were moving the ball around great but we ended up bunching up to many times,” said Newport head coach Caleb Godwin. “During the second half of the game we wanted to make a big push for pressure.”
Cooper Skarin, Ben Gallagher and Joe Bolierio played well and moved the ball well for the Tigers. Their defense with Mike Wilkinson and Jarred Meyette made several stops, but it was the a couple breaks that got by the last line.
“I am very happy how this team has come together and made a huge improvement. It is great to see how they have improved from just kicking the ball around to actually making plays,” said coach Godwin.
The Tigers’ seniors honored Thursday were Ben Gallagher, Justin Armstrong, and Joe Bolierio.
On the seniors he will now lose to graduation, coach Godwin said, “They kept our team together… so it’s going to be tough to replace them. They showed a lot of these younger kids what is expected.”
Armstrong joined the team a couple weeks into the season after a motocross injury sidelined him, and had been playing with a rod in his leg. On Armstrong, Godwin said, “He’s one of those kids that has a lot of motivation and a lot of heart. He didn’t care how much the injury held him back, he just pushed forward and went.”
Bolierio also joined the team late this season, due to him transferring from Manchester Central. “I call it a blessing in disguise,” said Godwin. “We didn’t know we were going to get him. To have someone to pair up with Cooper was good for us… they worked well together and knew each other’s game.”
Godwin is already trying to find a player to replace Gallagher, who he saw much value in this season. Godwin said, “That’s going to be a big shoe to fill… he’s got a heck of a foot and knows how to move the ball. He was willing to come back on defense a lot and it’s going to be hard to try to find someone who can do those things.
The Newport boys finish their season at 4-10-1 and missed out on the postseason. But, the Tigers saw much progress from the beginning of the season and the program is slowly heading in the right direction with a slew of younger kids climbing up the ranks.
Girls: Concord Christian 2, Newport 1
After a scoreless first half Thursday, the Tigers were outscored 2-1 by a talented Concord Christian team. The Newport goal came with 10 minutes left in the second half came from Anna Caron in her senior game. Emma Primeau and Keily Dillow notched goals for CCA early in the final frame to jump out to a 2-0 lead.
Shelby Adams had nine saves in an impressive performance, while CCA’s Lizah Chancey had five.
The Tigers’ girls honored at halftime Thursday were Caty Boles, Emily Wellman, Abby Paquin, and Anna Caron.
The Tigers’ head coach Ray Curren spoke highly of his four seniors following their final game, saying, “Those four were two-thirds of the returning players this season and had to deal with a new coach and system in their senior season… but they stayed positive and sawn the team through a rebuilding season, worked hard to get us better every game and set the tone for the future.”
The Newport girls finish their season at 3-12-1 and will look to build going forward.
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