Winchester Boys Soccer Defeats Melrose, 1-0

Winchester Sachems travelled to Melrose on a rainy Tuesday night for a game under the lights.  The referees were late, so the game was delayed 45 minutes.  When the whistle finally blew to start the game, Winchester wasted no time.  At 38 seconds, Marino Espiga passed to Zach Samson who put the ball in the back of the net.  No other goals were scored for the rest of the game and Winchester walked away with another 1 point win.  Keeper Chris O’Connell notched another shutout.

Despite the lack of goals, Winchester was in control the entire game.  The Sachem defenders--Dan Boulanger, Alexi Taliadouros, Vardaan Dawesar, and Evan Carey--limited Melrose to one shot on goal.  

At the other end, Winchester’s offense kept the pressure on the Melrose keeper.  In one 5 minutes stretch at the start of the 2nd half, Nick Stern  passed to Zach Landau for a shot on goal, then Marino Espiga passed to Nick Stern for a shot just over the crossbar, followed by Zach Samson shooting on goal, and moments later Samson dribbled through the defense but his shot was high.  

With a few minutes left in the game, Kevin Calnan boomed a kick from almost 40 yards out that flew a foot over the leaping keeper and the crossbar.

Winchester Sachems are now 7-0-2.  Wilmington is the only other team in the Middlesex League with no losses.  Winchester will play Wilmington on Monday, October 8, at 10 AM.