We played Kent at home on a glorious western Mass late summer afternoon. We took control of the game early with lots of possession and complete neutralization of any Kent attacks. Oscar Sanford and Jack Zhunio put their midfielders under constant pressure and our backs played with great balance. We were knocking on the door for 35 minutes when senior co-captain Cai Harrison broke through. The ball had come up the left wing. Senior co-captain Andrew Lewis received it at the left corner of the box, brought it across the top of the box, then nudged the ball back against the grain and toward goal. Cai beat the oncoming keeper to the ball and toe-poked it past him. 1-0 at the half. We controlled play in the second half as well, though we were a little flat. In one of our hungrier moments, freshman Blaze Etienne-Cummings charged onto a cross near the top of the box. He arrived at the same time as the keeper, got a clean touch of the ball, did his best to avoid contact, and the ball rebounded off the keeper’s face and back out of the box to a waiting Gunter Weldon, who smartly sent it right into the net with good pace. Some players were distracted by Blaze’s collision with the goalie, but no foul was called. Thankfully, the Kent goalie popped up and finished the game without issue. The game ended 2-0. Another clean sheet for our defense and for keeper Gianluca Simonelli who played very well with his feet. Overall, coaches were proud of the effort and the sportsmanship today. We’ll need a little more persistence with a lead if we plan to beat upcoming rivals. Onward!