Furious rally

Even more uncharacteristically, the Red Dragons didn’t score a goal in either game, both 1-0 defeats.

First-year head coach Andrew Lindstrom and his team righted the ship Wednesday afternoon. They just were not able to come away with a result.

Maple Grove went ahead 3-0 midway through the first half, but was unable to keep high-scoring senior Carson Swanson off the scoresheet late in a 4-4 tie with Westfield/Brocton in the Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Central Division opener for both teams at Maple Grove Jr.-Sr. High School.

“It’s a good step forward. It’s a definite confidence builder getting that many goals,” Lindstrom said postgame. “We possessed the ball really well, we played well, it’s just a tough game.”

OBSERVER Photo by Matt Spielman
Maple Grove keeper Liam Colburn rises above teammate Ryan Lockwood to make a save during Wednesday’s CCAA Central Division boys soccer game at Maple Grove Jr.-Sr. High School.

Maple Grove senior Arley Culver scored his team’s first goal of the season in the eighth minute when he took a long pass from senior Drew Oste, dribbled through a defender and then scored low to the far post to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.

“Drew Oste had some beautiful passes into Arley and really facilitated the ability to score,” Lindstrom said.

Culver made it 2-0 in the 21st minute when he chipped a shot over Westfield/Brocton sophomore keeper Nolan Anderson that took one bounce before finding the back of the net, and completed his hat trick less than five minutes later when Oste’s long shot hit the crossbar and came down to a waiting Culver, who settled the ball nicely with his chest and right-footed the ball into the low corner.

“Arley is a very talented player,” Westfield/Brocton head coach Neil Huber said. “We have to be better defensively and be smart about things.”

As the Wolverines reset for the kickoff at midfield, Swanson asked Huber to move him to midfield. The change paid off.

OBSERVER Photo by Matt Spielman
Westfield/Brocton’s Nolan Anderson makes a save.

Almost immediately, some 23 seconds after Culver’s goal, Swanson hit a through ball to junior Anthony Gatto, who scored into the far corner of Maple Grove’s net to make it 3-1.

Less than five minutes later, Gatto returned the favor to Swanson on a give-and-go that resulted in the Wolverines senior’s third goal of the season to make it 3-2 heading into halftime.

“He’s one of those kids who can do anything really. He can place the ball anywhere you want him to place it,” Huber said of Swanson. “He is a pure scorer, but he also has incredible touch on the ball.”

Maple Grove got its two-goal lead back in the 69th minute as junior Ty Kraft fed Culver for his fourth goal of the game, but it still wasn’t enough in the end.

In the 70th minute, with a loose ball bouncing around inside the Maple Grove 18-yard box, Gatto lightly touched a ball to Swanson, who finished his second goal of the game to make it 4-3.

Finally, in the 75th minute, Westfield/Brocton drew even as sophomore Parker Gambino sent a long ball toward the Maple Grove net and Swanson beat Red Dragons junior keeper Liam Colburn to the ball before scoring as he was taken down from behind.

“We struggled at the start, but through the leadership of the guys on the team, we were able to overcome all of that,” Huber said.

The pair of 10-minute overtime sessions were not lacking excitement, as the Wolverines had multiple chances within 6 yards of the Maple Grove net, but were unable to convert.

The Red Dragons’ best chance in the extra sessions came in the 96th minute when Oste dribbled to his left and ripped a shot that glanced off the crossbar.

“I think we were missing a few players today and we don’t have as large of a bench this year, so we were getting a little tired out there,” Lindstrom said. “They pushed through and kept it from a loss.”

With 1:10 remaining in the game, Westfield/Brocton senior Zach Maguire had a look at a header off a corner kick, but again the ball hit the crossbar and was cleared to safety.

“In overtime, we had glorious chances. The ball didn’t bounce our way,” Huber said. “There’s not a whole lot you can do about that, you just move on to the next day.”

The game, which featured multiple yellow cards, may only be a precursor to Friday’s rematch under the lights in Westfield. That game will only be counted as a nonleague contest because the teams are actually playing each other three times this fall.

“Maple Grove is always a good team,” Huber said. “They have a storied program, but we have high expectations for ourselves, too.”