By Patrick Fergus
@Fergus5 Fergus
A dangerous set piece on the edge of the box was all Vassar midfielder Jared Fiske needed to bury a gorgeous curler into the top right corner, just out of the outstretched glove of Springfield goalkeeper Noah Pote.
The free kick secured the win for Vassar as they defeated the Pride 5-1 at Brock-Affleck Field on Tuesday night.
“It was a hard-fought match, and they have a lot of veterans on that side, whereas our team is really young and still learning and growing,” said head coach Tommy Crabill. “I’m happy with their effort, and they continue to battle.”
Minutes before the impressive strike, the Pride finally broke through with their first goal of the season, scored by defenseman Tristan Moran on a perfectly executed rebound, which cut the deficit to just one goal.
Vassar had commanded possession throughout the first half as Springfield faced a relentless barrage of shots, most of them on goal. Owen Fauth opened the scoring by splitting two defenders and finishing powerfully in the 40th minute.
The second half started with much of the same, as Vassar forward Duncan Keker scored in the opening minutes. After a great block by Springfield’s defenders, Keker was somehow able to find the back of the net from a tough angle along the goal line.
“They had a good speed of play and utilized overlaps and overloads, and our young guys are learning to see that pace,” Crabill said.
Vassar outshot the Pride 15 to seven and registered nine shots on goal. They tacked on two more goals in the 62nd and 67th minute, respectively.
Despite the scoreboard, some performances like that of the goalscorer Moran – who accounted for half the team’s shots on target – and midfielder Maitoe Suppasuesangua were bright spots for the team.
Cabrill was impressed with aspects of his team’s performance against a team like Vassar, who went to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year.
“It’s about speed of thought and making those adjustments, and even then, we were able to turn them over and force bad passes in moments,” Cabrill said. “Our restarts were organized and effective.”
For a team with a ton of first-year players, a loss like this can help them along their development.
“You learn how to rebound after setbacks,” Cabrill said.
Springfield moves to 0-1-1 on the season and looks to get their first win on the road against Gordon on Saturday, Sep. 9.
Photo: Springfield College Athletics