By Ray Curren
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
LACONIA — The defending state champion Sunapee boys soccer team survived penalty kicks in the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association (NHIAA) Division IV quarterfinals last week.
They didn’t care to experience them again on Tuesday.
The third-seeded Lakers used three second-half goals to run away with a 4-0 victory over No. 2 Gorham at Laconia High’s Fitzgerald Field. Sunapee will make its fourth straight finals appearance Friday night against the winner of Profile and Woodsville, having won last season, but lost in 2018 and 2019.
“[Gorham] have a very good squad,” said Sunapee coach Jack Iacopino. “We just worked really well together, and we have really good depth. When we put someone in off the bench, it doesn’t hurt us and everyone works together.”
Despite a 12-4 shots disadvantage for the game and the final scoreline, Gorham (16-3) made things difficult for Sunapee, particularly in the first half. Chances were few and far between with a notable exception coming when Sunapee’s Vincent Borelli found himself open nine minutes in, but was denied by Husky goalkeeper Liam Cairns and then pushed the rebound wide.
Sunapee (17-2) broke through with 6:59 remaining in the first half when Sam Flint got on the end of a through ball, fought off the Gorham defense, and poked the ball past Cairns, who got a finger on it, but couldn’t keep it out.
The Huskies had their best stretch of the game to start the second half, finally getting a couple of shots (after having none before the half) and winning a series of corner kicks. However, as Gorham pressed forward, it allowed Sunapee to counter, and Matthew Tschudin’s pinpoint pass sent Sam Kress away on a breakaway with 30 minutes left. Cairns saved the original shot, but it bounced right back to Kress, who tapped it in to double the Laker lead.
“We knew what we wanted to do in the second half, but when it first started, it didn’t look great,” Iacopino said. “But we got that big second goal and eventually started to keep the ball more, control it, not give it away, and we calmed down.”
Five minutes later, Sunapee put the game out of reach with the pick of the bunch. A free kick was blocked, but it bounced right to senior defender Andrew Claus, who put his foot through it and beat Cairns from 30 yards out to make it 3-0.
“I hit it really well, but I expected the goalkeeper to get it honestly,” Claus said. “It did have some swerve to it, though.”
Borelli become Sunapee’s fourth different scorer and finished things with 7:32 left when he took Kress’ pass and slid in a breakaway goal.
Despite the goals, the story was the Laker defense, with Claus leading the way in the middle with Cam Messenger with help from Maddox Cahill and Jacob Stoughton on the outside. Jake Galloway made just three saves, but commanded his box well, and was solid when called upon, including denying Brendan Saladino in the closing seconds to preserve the shutout. Gorham standout senior Teagan Leclerc did not record a shot at goal.
“We didn’t do much really different on defense, we just man-marked their striker (Leclerc) and we were just making sure we were talking and covering for each other,” Claus said.
With top-seeded Epping eliminated in the quarterfinals, Sunapee will be the top seed on Friday, but Iacopino and the Lakers know anything can happen.
“We just want to go out and play our best Friday and everything else will hopefully take care of itself,” Iacopino said.
Sunapee will face Woodsville on Friday for the Division IV state championship.
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