UPDATED 10-27-18
On a deep ball, Suma Bhujel races to catch up before the East Longmeadow goalie can corral the ball Friday night at Westfield State University. (Photo by Bill Deren)
WESTFIELD – The Westfield High boys soccer team dominated the first half, and controlled a good portion of the second half for that matter but East Longmeadow took advantage of three defensive breakdowns to eliminate the Bombers from the postseason chase Friday night with a 3-0 shutout at Westfield State University.
Jalen Dehoyos-Cortina scored three minutes into the second half. Orlando Alean followed that up with a second East Longmeadow goal three minutes later. Spartans’ Chris Kingston scored late.
“They weren’t three goals better than us,” Westfield coach Andrew Joseph said. “It was a weird game. They made the most of their three opportunities and we didn’t score.”
Westfield’s R.J. Piper held East Longmeadow’s top scorer in check for much of the game.
“It’s just perplexing and disappointing because of that first half,” Joseph added. “It shows you what happens when you have a couple of breakdowns. The ball fell for them.”
The Bombers head coach noted the continued efforts of senior leaders – goalie Mike Lurgio (5 saves), Brendan LaForest, Jimmy Hagan, and Mark Botin – on Friday night, as well as throughout the season.
“They made the whole program better for how committed they were,” Joseph said. “Not everyone has the opportunity to play the highest level of soccer like this in Western Mass.”
Gators battle
Hopkins Academy 2, Gateway 1
Gateway delivered a tournament-worthy performance against Hopkins Academy.
Gateway (5-11-1) rallied from two goals down, cutting the lead in half with a second half goal from Ben Hyjek on a well-served ball from Evan Lee.
John Foley and Preston Coffey made four saves apiece for the Gators.
FOOTBALL
Bombers falls to 6-2
Longmeadow 35, Westfield 26
Westfield lost just its second game of the season on the road Friday night in the regular season finale. The Bombers now await their tournament seed, which is expected to be announced Sunday morning.
