Patriots Roll Past CM, Advance to Harvard

After going through the handshake line junior midfielder Brendan Finigan pumped his fists and shouted one word: Harvard.

He and his Patriot teammates will have a chance to win the Division 2 East title Wednesday at Harvard Stadium after they dominated Catholic Memorial 11-6 Friday afternoon at CCHS.

The Patriots will play either Hingham or Wellesley on Wednesday.

“It was really a team effort,” Concord-Carlisle junior Kevin Delehey said. “I thought we played great all-around. Holding a team like that for such few goals really helps. It’s hard for us to lose when our team only gives up five or six goals a game.”

The Patriots truly did play a team game. Eight different Patriots scored a goal, including Finigan and Delehey, in the first half.

Senior Mike O’Brien and Jackson Finigan as well as freshman Will Blumenberg each had two goals for the Patriots.

“We don’t have two or three players that can go to the net; we have our entire six starters and a couple more after that who can score and finish,” Delehey said. “We don’t play with a couple of players; we play with all of them.”

After Catholic Memorial junior John Harrison opened the scoring 41 seconds into the game the Patriots put the metaphorical pedal down and drove away. They led 4-2 at quarter time and 8-2 at the half. The Knights threw everything they had at the Patriots in the second half, and actually outscored Concord 4-3, but senior goaltender Doug Gouchoe put in a sterling performance to keep the Patriots ahead.

The Air Force-bound goalie turned aside 13 shots, including seven in the second half to preserve the lead.

“Doug’s always great,” Concord-Carlisle coach Tom Dalicandro said. “Doug’s just special, and you win with guys like that.”

The Knights were able to penetrate the Patriot defense late in the game, but the deficit was too great to overcome.

Harrison had a game-high three goals for Catholic Memorial, and freshman Tyler Bogart netted a pair as well. Senior goalkeeper Miles McCarthy turned aside seven shots in the defeat.

“We gave everything we had,” Catholic Memorial coach Kevin Lynch said. “We had a lot of seniors out there that worked as hard as they could.

“They came out with a set of goals. One of the main goals was to win the Catholic Conference and they did that, but today it was two good teams; that’s why it’s a semifinal.”

For Concord-Carlisle the win means yet another trip to America’s oldest stadium. The Patriots beat both Hingham and Wellesley earlier this season, but are taking nothing for granted ahead of Wednesday’s tilt.

“It’s so exciting to get back to Harvard,” Dalicandro said. “Whoever we play is a great team whether it’s Hingham or Wellesley. We’re psyched to be there.”