On Saturday, Sept. 27, the boys varsity soccer team tied Westford Academy 2-2 at Concord Carlisle High School in the annual Kicks for Cancer game. Kicks for Cancer is a yearly soccer game that raises money for women’s cancer research, donating over $2 million to the Dana-Farber Cancer institute. Every player had the name of a loved one on their jersey, representing them during the game.
With this tie, Wayland’s record this season becomes 4-1-1.
“It appeared that Westford’s game plan was really to try to beat us in foot races,” head coach David Gavron said.
First half:
In the first 10 minutes of the game, senior captain Max Walsh scored a header off a corner kick delivered by junior Tobias Kylberger. Soon after, senior captain Will Klautky injured his knee following a collision and stepped off the pitch, with junior Ian Ferreira taking his place at center defense. Facing a goal deficit, Westford launched a counter attack with a long pass into Wayland’s territory, which Westford was able to score off.
But, about 15 minutes after, Walsh assisted Kylberger to put Wayland back into the lead, gaining momentum for Wayland before heading into halftime.
“With the ebbs and flows of the game, there’s times when our energy level doesn’t stay as consistent as it needs to be,” Gavron said.
Second half:
Wayland came out the second half with lots of pressure to keep Westford on their heels. Wayland was able to create some scoring opportunities, and the ball was held in Westford’s territory for a significant amount of time. However, saves from Westford’s goal keeper and missed shots from Wayland players kept the score at 2-1. Westford was able to break through Wayland’s defense on some occasions, one of which resulted in a goal to tie the game.
Wayland responded by keeping high pressure on Westford, but they failed to score. With seven minutes left in the half, junior Colton Alhart was helped off the pitch due to a cramp. In the final two minutes, Walsh had a breakaway leading to a shot that was just high of the net. In response, Westford also had one final breakaway, but they were unable to follow through with a goal, ending the game in a tie.
Gavron said that he was impressed with some players stepping up, praising Ferreira for filling in for Klautky, and sophomore JT Garcia, saying that Garcia played one of his best games of the season.
Wayland’s next game is on Tuesday, Sept. 30, against Bedford High School.
