TURNER — It was afternoon of hit posts, dinged crossbars and near misses, and the result of that was the Leavitt boys’ soccer team coming up short Saturday afternoon.
Despite a strong effort and tying the game late in regulation, Leavitt watched Gardiner seize back the momentum and the lead in a 2-1 victory.
“This is the fifth game in eight days,” said Leavitt coach Isaiah Davis. “I thought we played hard. The clock stopped when it was 1-1 and I think we were going on adrenalin in playing hard. Then I think the fatigued kicked in.”
Gardiner scored the game-winner with 13:04 left in regulation. Trevor Quirion blasted a shot from the right side that found the top far corner.
“I got a pass from (Alex) Lapointe,” said Quirion. “The goal was open. So I just took the shot. It was my weaker foot. I don’t usually shoot with my left but thought I’d take a chance.”
Leavitt pressed for the equalizer but the Tigers (2-4-1) finished strong. The Hornets’ biggest threat for a tying goal came with 9:15 remaining. Madison Noel had a shot toward an open net. The Hornets even had a player in front to tip it home if it didn’t go in, but defender Bobby Rose was there to clear it for Gardiner.
“I don’t know if it was going in or not, but it was right there,” Davis said. “With the way momentum was going, I think if we scored there, we would have won.”
Gardiner hit the post on a Kevin Frankhauser shot with 3:00 left, and the Tigers finished off the victory.
“It’s a great win and a great team effort,” said Gardiner coach Nick Wallace. “All I ask of my guys to do is to give it the best they can when they take the field. They did that today. I’m proud of them.”
It was a demoralizing loss for the Hornets, which lost at Winslow 5-0 Friday but bounced back with a strong effort against the Tigers.
“Gardiner played hard,” said Davis, whose team played at Winslow, at Erskine and at Medomak Valley this past week. “Both teams played really hard. I thought skill-wise, we were pretty much the same. Neither team played flat and one would seize the upper hand for awhile and then the other team would.”
Both teams came close to scoring in the first half. Gardiner had Larsson Lunt in front for a shot that went wide. Then Josh Caldwell jumped on a misplayed ball in front. His initial shot hit the crossbar and came back down into the goalmouth. He tried to pop in the rebound but hit it over the net.
Leavitt got a try when Zach Johnson had a shot from the right wing hit the far crossbar.
In the second half, Tyler Roux took the first possession right down the middle for a shot that was saved by Gardiner keeper Kenneth Moore.
Gardiner’s first goal came with 25:01 left, and it was Caldwell in the thick of things again. Brad Hart fired a shot from the outside toward the goal. The ball hit Leavitt keeper Ben Fullerton and deflected off a Hornet defender. Caldwell was there to tuck in the loose ball for the 1-0 lead.
Leavitt pressed for the equalizer and tied it with 18:10 remaining. Johnson broke through the defense for an open shot to give the Hornets a boost.
The Hornets couldn’t maintain the momentum. The Tigers controlled the ball well down the stretch and managed to pressure Leavitt before getting the winner with 13:04 left.
“I thought my kids responded great,” Wallace said. “Even after they scored a goal, we came right back and scored one. I thought the effort was great. I thought both teams played very well.”
Quirion got an open look on his goal and took a shot from long distance that not many on the Leavitt defense were expecting.
“There was a lot of pressure on us,” Quirion said. “Basically, we worked hard as a team. We finally came together and everybody did what we had to do.”
kmills@sunjournal.com
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