Attleboro Soccer Battles and Defeats Rival North Attleboro

Attleboro High School and rival North Attleboro High School have a storied history. Each year the competing schools have a rivalry soccer game, called the Leach Garner Cup.  This year's Garner Cup ended in a 1-1 tie, but North Attleboro won 2-1 in double overtime. 

During the first five minutes of the Oct. 6 game, North Attleboro had the majority of possession.  Both teams played with great intensity.  During the first half, possession was 50-50.  

Things, however, began to heat up after referee calls against Attleboro led players to become frustrated and vocal. Refs stopped the game and spoke to both teams. The result:  players broke through the adversity and came through with a victory. The Bombardiers then took control of the game and possessed the ball about 80 percent of the time for the remainingt 25 minutes of the game. 

 Attleboro's Jake Keefer scored the only game goal with 19 minutes left in the game.  The Bombardiers took control down the stretch.  Steve Santos, the Red Rocketeers coach, said both teams fought hard and the competition was intense. Assistant coach Larry Alves, who took over for an ill Peter Pereira, commented on the intensity of the game and said the turning point was the goal.  Once his players shook off the ref's calls and played their game, it showed on the field.  

Winning against a big rival and on the road is a team confidence booster. As of Oct. 9, 2010, the Bombardiers have won five consecutive games, but the season is not over yet. The Bombardiers improved on the season to 5-1-1 and 3-0-1 in league play.