Somers makes a Statement with 5-0 Win over Pelham

Scroll to end for photos

On Friday October 23, Somers hosted Pelham for round one of the sectionals, and the Tuskers didn’t take long to gain an edge. “It was really important to get the groove going for the team,” said Milan Sath after scoring eight minutes into the game, and the senior wasn’t wrong.

Somers held the advantage through the first half and scored four more in 5-0 victory.

The boys came out of the gait even sooner. Off a long clear from the Pelham zone, the Somers attack won the marathon, and when the ball kicked out front, Trevor Keimig sent the ball wide at 38:42.

90 seconds later, the Tusker defense went long again, and this time Kaon Demaj won the battle in the front court. The ball kicked forward, but goalie Chris Passante got his foot there first and the play rolled harmlessly out of bounds. 

Back the other way, the subsequent Pelham incursion was a lot more perilous. Another long pass, the Pelican wing made a move around the defense and stood one v one. Not good enough, Nick Chao met the threat and the meaty kick deflected wide at 34:25.

Chao responded by sending his goal kick well past midfield, and Keimig’s legwork on the sideline drew a penalty kick at 33:40. The advance initially denied, Somers still contained on the Pelham side, and Demaj resent the ball to the danger zone. 

Sath settled, got the rock to Harper Ritson, and he returned the favor. “Harper played a great ball, flicked back to me, I took it down and got lucky with the rebound,” said the forward.

In at 32:41, Sath knew the score. “The goal really set the tone,” he clarified.

Kicking high, Somers kept coming. The Tuskers kept the ball in the Pelican zone, and Ritson’s long legs seemed like the primary vehicle on a number of lead passes over the next few minutes.

Still, Pelham emerged from their zone around the 24 minute mark, but there was no rest in the Somers defense. Danny Semenza and Demaj both disrupted with their heads, and Ritson swung from his heels to end the threat. 

And the formula persisted when necessary.  “We just stayed on ‘em. The two center backs stayed on the strikers, and me and Braeden (Gibson), we got on the wings,” Semenza explained.

Shutting down the Tusker offense was another matter, though.  Off a midfield throw in at 23 minutes, Kenji Todo controlled, dribbled into space and used the back of his foot to thread a perfect pass to Ritson. On the left, the middie wound up and sent the Pelham goalie flying.

A diving save,  the pressure persisted for the rest of the half, but the valve wouldn’t be released until after intermission. The same eight minutes, Ritson gave off the stream.

On another long kick down field, Ritson was head, shoulders and all feet between two defenders. “I fought and won the ball,” he said, and once on the ground, Ritson kicked between Passante’s legs.

Up two 2-0 at 32:30, Somers refused to let up, and a corner kick three minutes later proved the point.  “I saw it pop up and no one else was going for it,” said Ritson. “So I thought I might as well go up for it and put it in.”

At 28:08, the senior did just that and doubt mostly disappeared from the scene. Even so, there was still work to be done. 

After Chao took possession on the other end, his long range missile had Ritson and Keimig doing destruction at ground zero. “Harper got his head on the ball,” said Keimig. “It couldn’t have been a better flick, and I just used my pace. Two touches and I hit the side netting.”

One last goal came courtesy of AJ Coviello. A healthy dent into the net, the final goal wasn’t just about cementing the scoreboard. “Hopefully this gives a good impression for the future,” said the sophomore. 

But his wasn’t the only message sent. “This is a big statement win,” said Ritson, and there’s more to come, he added in conclusion.

Click image for photos

Click Image for Crowd Photos