Lexington Native, Nobles Fall in NEPSAC Final

CONCORD – In the end, the glass slipper just didn't quite fit for junior Dan Vogel and the rest of the Nobles (Dedham, Mass.) boys' soccer team.

Midnight tolled on Vogel, a Lexington resident, and the Bulldogs' magical Cinderella tournament run, as they fell 2-1 to the South Kent School (South Kent, Conn.) in the NEPSAC championship game at the Middlesex School on Sunday afternoon. 

"They left everything they had on the field," Nobles coach Steve Ginsberg said of his squad. "There's nothing to be ashamed of."

The title is the third straight for South Kent.

Nobles finished the season at 13-2-3, a stark difference from the 4-6-5 mark the Bulldogs ended the 2009 season with.

Vogel helped Nobles reach the championship game on the heels of two dramatic wins: one on a golden goal in overtime and the other on a penalty kick with three seconds left in the second overtime on Saturday.

But the magic didn't continue against the talented South Kent squad, which features 17 international players.

"For a team like that, [opportunities] just come out of the flow of the game when they're pressuring you," Ginsberg said.

South Kent opened the scoring in the first half on an own goal by Nobles. With 24 minutes, 30 seconds remaining before halftime, South Kent's Tre Ming crossed the ball from right to left in front of Nobles goalkeeper Tyler Zon.

The ball made it across the 6-yard box, but Nobles defender Phil Stansky, trying to clear the ball out of danger, knocked it into his team's net to put South Kent up 1-0.

Nobles didn't let the mishap get them down. Zon kept the score unchanged nearly 10 minutes later when South Kent fired off a flurry of shots. Zon stopped two straight bullets to keep his team within a goal.

The importance of those saves was amplified five minutes later when Nobles tied the game at 1-1.

Bulldogs' leading score Oliver White brought his team even with South Kent when he knocked home a rebound off an Alex Ainscough free kick. White's goal was his 21^st of the season.

South Kent created the ultimate chance 15:27 into the second half. South Kent's Gustavo Ferreira was working on Nobles defender Mohammed Raheem on the left side of the box when both fell to the turf. Raheem was whistled for the foul in the box, setting up Ferreira with penalty kick.

Ferreira beat Zon on the try by skipping the ball into the right side of the net, essentially giving his team its third straight NEPSAC championship.

"We did a good job for the most part, holding on," Ginsberg said, "but they eventually broke through. They're much more skilled than any high school team I've ever seen."