The West Springfield Spartans’ soccer season concluded Wednesday night with a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to the Langley Saxons. After a brief lapse in the first minute of the second half put the Spartans down a goal, Shaney Tenkerian rebounded a Wais Ansary shot for the equalizer. Unfortunately for the Spartan faithful, the Saxons responded with another goal five minutes later and held on for the victory.
“We’re really proud of the guys,” head coach Andy Saffran said. “We really started to put it together late in the year, and its been a while since we made it this far in the region.”
The play began as sloppy as the soggy pitch, as neither team could possess the ball or gain momentum. Both teams cautiously cleared in defense and neither strung together many passes in the attacking third, as 50/50 balls and hard tackles set the tone for what was to be a very physical match.
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After a goalless first half, Langley wasted no time in the second, scoring in the first 33 seconds on a great individual effort from Saxon striker Josh Ellis. But the Spartans weren’t going out without a fight. Putting numbers in attack, they were finally rewarded midway through the half with a great hustle goal from Tenkerian.
However, the Saxons would rally moments later to score when long throw eventually made it to the right boot of Farhan Kahn. The Spartans threw all they could at the Saxons with time ticking away, but in the end it was not to be there night.
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“We were up against the run of play most of the night,” Saffran admitted. “We also weren’t as poised as we are used to playing”
But despite Wednesday night’s result, there is no taking away from the accomplishments of the Spartans this season. They finished 14-2-3, and won their first Patriot League title in nearly a decade. And with only 5 seniors on this year’s team, Saffran sees no reason they can’t make another run at it next year.
“We’re a junior heavy team,” he said. “Obviously the guys are disappointed, but I think we have a great chance of getting here next year to try and take it one game further. We’ll be back.”
