Westfield Voc-Tech’s Dmitry Stepanchuk, left, battles a Keefe Tech defender for the header during the first half of Thursday night’s Massachusetts Vocational Boys’ Soccer Championship at Bullens Field. Westfield Voc went on to win the state title 3-1. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
WESTFIELD – Right now, nobody is better than the Westfield Vocational-Technical High School boys’ soccer team.
Westfield Voc-Tech drilled home that point Wednesday night, defeating Keefe Tech (Framingham) 3-1 to capture the state vocational championship at Bullens Field. Dmitry Stepanchuk recorded a hat trick for the Tigers (15-2-3).
“Our team as a whole wanted it bad,” said Stepanchuk, following the school’s first-ever state title in any sport.
Stepanchuk spotted his team a 2-0 lead with a pair of late first-half goals.
In his first effort, Stepanchuk took a pass from Adam Guilbert, settled the ball near the left side of the penalty box, dribbled around a defender, and lofted a beautiful shot into the upper right corner of the net in the 28th minute.
Stepanchuk made it 2-0, scoring on a breakaway with 2:24 left in the half. Laxmi Basnet assisted on the play.
A nice touch on another breakaway for Stepanchuk in the second half with 17:19 left resulted in a 3-0 advantage. Alex Makarchuk earned the assist.
Keefe Tech broke up the shutout with a goal on a penalty kick late.
“To transform this team by my senior year is the greatest feeling ever,” Voc-Tech senior captain Cole Provost said. “We’ve become close as a team. We hang out together. There’s camaraderie.”
Two years ago, Keefe Tech blanked Voc-Tech by nearly a touchdown. Last season, in the state vocational tournament, Lynn Tech knocked out the Tigers in the semis, 2-1.
On Wednesday, Voc-Tech left all that behind.
“We just have a great group of guys,” Voc-Tech coach Kyle Dulude said. “We didn’t make the mistakes today that we made in our losses this season.”
Later this week Voc-Tech will have the opportunity to prove it is the not only the best among the state’s vocational schools, but among all of Division III when the seventh-seeded Tigers host the No. 10 Ware Indians in the opening round of the postseason. Game time is set for 4 p.m.
“This is such a great thing for the school as a whole,” Dulude said. “There were parents, staff, administrators, the girls’ soccer team, brothers, and sisters here today. These kids deserve it.”
It was the seventh game for Voc-Tech in seven school days.
“I am not worried about Friday,” Dulude said. “Right now, the kids need to enjoy this.”
