Peter Guellnitz, Belmont High School's Boys' Soccer head coach, could only give a smile when asked about his reaction to the story of a game that seems to always have the same ending.
In their third meeting this year – the second year in a row they have met in the playoffs – the Sachems walked away with the win over Belmont, this time a 1-0 nail biter that saw Winchester once again wait until late in the contest to connect with the winning strike.
And the goal this time came from an unlikely source; midfielder Will Boyle who took a pass from Jeff Tilley and hit a rocket off his left foot past Belmont's goalie Jeremy Lockett, scoring his first goal of the year with 11 minutes left in the game.
"There's too many cliches to say," said Guellnitz after the Monday, Nov. 7, game.
"It's a heartbreaking game but that's why game is so beautiful," said Kambiz Vatan, Winchester's first-year coach whose team is now 14-2-2.
"I told them that this was going to be a one nothing game. It is just luck who was going to win," said Vatan, who was Winchester's girls coach for the past two years.
In the first 10 minutes of the first half, it appeared that Winchester would have an easy time with Belmont, keeping the Maruaders in check and bottled up as they sent a barrage of shots – the Sachems would have 21 on goal – towards Lockett.
Yet Belmont withstood the pressure and began stretching the Sachems' defense with long passes to forward Greg Guebenlian.
"I don't think we had the ball out of our own end (for the first 20 minutes)," said Guellnitz. But after a time out with 10 minutes left in the half, "for the next 40 minutes it evened up. We had chances, they had chances," he said.
For Winchester, the game plan was short passes that would build up for attacking chances, said Vatan.
"They are great ball controllers so they had more possession but we were getting opportunities off transition," said Guellnitz, who played with only three backs – sweeper David Sullivan, John Navarro and Chris Rizzo with Sam Bragg subbing – to put an extra man on offense.
"They stayed with (Winchester's) forwards and they can score," said Guellnitz.
Belmont's Chris Raymond and Jamie McClellan were teaming up to go forward against a stingy Winchester defense led by the big man on the pitch, Center Back Jonathan Redwine.
Winchester had the clearer chances, with Conor Calnan coming the closest missing just wide of the right post in the first two minutes of the game and later in the second half being robbed by Lockett who deflected a pinpoint shot over the crossbar.
And before and after Boyle's goal, Belmont had two golden opportunities that just missed.
"We had our chance with a breakaway but Dan Martin couldn't get a foot on it in the box," said Guellnitz.
The Belmont coach praised his team which began the season either losing or drawing "each and every team we played" finishing with a 7-5-8 record.
"For where they are at this point in the season ... it was really good to see these guys coming together after losing 14 seniors last year," said Guellnitz.
For Winchester, the season continues with a match either against another Middlesex League rival, Stoneham, or Charlestown from Boston.
"We now play one touch at a time. It's not one half anymore. I told them that this could be the last touch they could have as a senior, it could be done. So they have to have a purpose behind every touch, not just kick (the ball)," said Vatan.
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