Amity Boys Play Great Soccer, But Can't Find the Net

There’s good news and bad news this week for the Amity boys soccer team. The good news is the Spartans played reasonably well in their last two games against Lyman Hall and Shelton.  The bad news is, they didn’t win either game. Following a scoreless stand-off with the Trojans, Coach Mike Marchitto’s booters were nudged 2-1 by Shelton and now sit with a 1-2-3 Southern Connecticut Conference record (0-1-2 against Housatonic Division opponents).

“We controlled the Lyman Hall game from start to finish, but we found a way to miss every open shot on goal,” Marchitto said. “This was a game we should have won. I’m very disappointed with the final results.”

Amity outshot the 0-2-3 Trojans 15-5 but just could not get the ball into the net.

According to Marchitto, “We’re played great soccer, but we’re not finishing. We don’t have any superstars but as a team, we’re playing well. If we keep going the way we’ve been going, we should do okay. We just need to find a way to finish.”

Spartan goalie Noah Safian recorded five saves. Lyman Hall netminder Robert O’Byrne had nine stops.

Following a scoreless first half, the Spartans jumped out to a 1-0 off the goal lead over Shelton when Rob Flanagan gathered in a cross from Sean Beaulieu and knocked it home at the 56 minute, 33 second mark. Flanagan was falling backward but stuck up his left foot and drove the ball into the far corner.

“Just before he scored, Rob promised me that he’d do it,” added Marchitto.

Amity held that lead for nearly 10 minutes, but at 67:16, The Gaels’ Anthony Castro beat Safian on a 20 yard blast to tie the score at 1-1. Castro’s goal was set up by a pass from teammate Zach Johnston.

Marchitto said, “Defensively, we screwed up.  Our center midfielder was out of position. We should never allow that to happen. He was wide open. It’s easy to score when you are that open.”

The deadlock lasted until 76:44 when Matt Broullette (set up by Matt Manzo) outjumped the Amity defense and knocked a header just inside the far post. Marchitto admitted that Broullette had scored on a good shot but blamed that score on another defensive lapse by his own team.

Prior to that game-winning goal, there had been a scuffle on the field. One of the Spartan defenders and a Shelton player were both given yellow cards.

“We were forced to make a defensive substitution. As a result, our defensive flow and continuity just wasn’t there,” he added.

Despite the final score, Amity outshot the 4-1-1 Gaels 12-10. Safian and his Shelton counterpart, Tyler Howland each made eight saves.

Looking back at his team blowing a 1-0 lead by giving up two goals in the last 13 minutes, Marchitto said, “I’m really disappointed. Once again, we did an outstanding job and should have also won this game. We controlled 60-70 percent of the play. It’s one of the most disappointing losses we’ve had in a while. You are not supposed to lose games like this when you are playing at home. We have to learn how to focus for the full 80 minutes—not just 75. We are good enough to play with any team, but have to go out and do it. Teams have to how to learn how to win and not be afraid to lose.”