By Christopher Shaban
Eagle Times Correspondent
“We were gassed, but the effort from both teams was just special to watch. This is what soccer is all about,” — Jason Stone, Stevens Boys Soccer Head Coach
CLAREMONT, NH — Monday’s 52nd annual match between Stevens and Fall Mountain was electric, and the biggest crowd of the year at any area sporting jammed into Monadnock Park for a dandy that needed a second overtime.
And just like that, Wildcat Nick Parrott’s header ended years of Stevens dominance with a 2-1 win.
“This was the game of the year and more,” said Fall Mountain head coach Justin Parrott. “What a great rivalry we have with Stevens; it’s been years since we won the cup.”
Physical play and quickness turned into some yapping and chippy play at times as the intensity and pressure built.
A scoreless first half saw the Cardinals’ Devin Marsh and Fall Mountains’ Aidan Parrott put on a show in net. With the field getting slick and the pace getting quicker and more urgent, Aiden Belden slipped a pass to Nick Parrott who found the back of the net giving Fall Mountain a 1-0 lead midway into the second half.
With Fall Mountain opting to mark Luke Belisle with Lucas Doescher all over the field, defense was the name of the game as the Wildcats held on to the one goal lead.
But that was about to change.
“My job was to cover Luke as best as I could. He is an incredible player and I had my hands full, but we wanted to keep him in check” said Doescher.
Belisle kept moving and settled into the middle of the field where other Fall Mountain players marked him up as well. Suddenly the ball ended up loose and in the goal area.
With the Cardinal fans at a fever pitch, the Stevens senior shoved his way toward goal and ripped a blast that found the twine. It was the Cardinals cheering section’s turn to celebrate with the match square 1-1. The Wildcats looked to end things with under 5 minutes remaining, but Marsh leapt high to snag a rocket off the foot of Doescher as the game headed into overtime.
“We were gassed, but the effort from both teams was just special to watch,” said Stevens coach Jason Stone. “This is what soccer is all about.”
Fall Mountain controlled the first 10-minute overtime period as Marsh answered every attempt with a save, sending the match into a second overtime period.
The Wildcats continued their possession into the next overtime and had the Cardinals pinned. A corner kick drifted into the goal box and Nick Parrott jumped up for a header sending the ball to the back of the net.
The Wildcat celebration was on.
“I can’t believe it; I just can’t believe it. We have the cup back after 10 years. It feels so good” said Nick Parrott after the game.
The Fall Mountain faithful cheers were deafening as the team hoisted the cup.
Even after a rough and tumble match, the respect was clear with players from both sides congratulating one another.
“Both teams had zero quit,” said Justin Parrott. “This was just an incredible game and I’m so proud of the way my team just kept their focus and fought so hard against a great Stevens team.”
Fall Mountain will have three home games against Monadnock, Hopkinton and Conant next on their schedule.
Stevens sits with a 7-3 record. A previous game against Kearsarge that was protested by Stevens was confirmed, meaning that that game will resume with a 0-0 score where it left off unless both teams decide to opt for a tie. The Cardinal will travel to Bishop Brady before getting a week off.
“I can’t lie, this is painful. When we play Fall Mountain, it’s like a championship game, there is just so much pride and intensity,” said Stone. “We just have to regroup, get a few days rest and get back at it.”
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