Winchester Boys Soccer Remains Undefeated After Beating Reading, 3-2

Winchester Boys Soccer remains undefeated at 3-0-1.

Winchester 0, Watertown 0

Winchester Boys Soccer had to settle for a 0-0 tie at Watertown on Tuesday, Sept. 11. After the game, Winchester Coach Kambiz Vatan mused on the need to “create more offense. But, overall it was a very good game. Job well done, great team defense.”

Winchester 3, Reading 2

In the next game, Coach Vatan and his Winchester Sachems found the formula to create more offense, as they scored three goals against Reading Memorial High School, for a 3-2 victory on the road. It was an exciting back and forth game. 

Reading scored just one-and-a-half minutes after the opening whistle when Reading's #4 outraced the Sachem defense on a long throw in from midfield. The Sachems kept their composure and kept their pressure on the Reading keeper, until they broke through with the tying goal at 28 minutes. Zach Samson fed a beautiful crossing pass to Nick Stern in the box. Stern put it past the keeper, but a defender knocked it back out where Ben Hodges was waiting to bury the ball in the back of the net.

Reading’s speedy Sullivan had another break away soon after, but his shot was smothered by Winchester keeper Chris O’Connell. 

Then with 10 minutes left in the half, Reading captain Johnathan Millett was fouled a few yards outside the box. His direct kick sailed over the Winchester wall, grazed the crossbar and landed in the net; 2-1 Reading. 

Less than five minutes later, Stern was fouled in the box, and Winchester junior Marino Espiga put the resulting penalty kick in the bottom right corner of the goal. The score was tied 2-2 at the half.

Winchester came back out strong in the second half. Less than 10 minutes after play resumed Dan Boulanger drove a free kick through the defense to land on the foot of the attacking Zach Landau. Landau nicely lofted the ball over the keeper for the game winning score.  

Strong Winchester team defense, aided by Alexi Taliadourous, kept Reading away from the goal most of the second half. With less than two minutes to go, Reading had a final chance to tie it, but keeper Chris O’Connell outraced two Reading attackers to secure the ball, and the 3-2 win for Winchester.