POLAND — Wells just needed to get a half under its belt before it got going in a 10 a.m. boys soccer matchup on the road Saturday.
The Warriors (2-10) scored four times, including two goals by Eli Roy, in the second half to earn a 4-1 victory over the Poland Knights.
“Soccer, like any sport, if you get off your routine, it has an impact on your players,” Wells coach Patrick Udeh said. “In the first half, they were still (acting like) it was a regular Saturday morning, still in bed and just getting up. I basically talked to them (at halftime) and said we couldn’t afford to do that — let’s go out there and play our game.”
Poland (2-9) wasn’t fazed by the early start but lost focus as the game went on.
“In the first half, we stayed pretty well in our shape, and we passed a lot better,” Poland coach David Coyne said. “The second half, we lost composure (at the start of the half), and we didn’t regain our momentum from the first half.”
Wells had the first opportunity of the game early in the first half on a direct kick but Santiago Fitch-Cury fired the ball right into the hands of Poland keeper Trevor Robbins.
Talen Langevin nearly put the Knights up 1-0, but his shot in the 15th minute sailed just over the crossbar.
Poland did take the the first lead in the 23rd minute when Mitchell Bean unleashed a 40-yard bomb into the top of the net past Wells goalie Colton Harding (six saves).
“He’s a very calculated player,” Coyne said of Bean. “He will take a chance if he has to.”
Late in the first half, Langevin had his second chance to score with a header, but he was ruled offsides and the goal didn’t count.
Poland’s Drew Sayler chipped a ball just over the crossbar two minutes into the second half.
Later in the half, Wells midfielder Eli Roy was tripped in the 18-yard box and was awarded a penalty kick. He beat Robbins on the opportunity to tie the game 1-1.
Roy said he understands that play can become physical in the box.
“I am a little hurt, but it was worth it,” Roy said. “When you are down in the box, you are going to get hurt. When (one of my teammates) told me to put my body in there like (teammate) Cam DaRosa does, I took his advice.”
Wells continued the pressure with three consecutive corners but didn’t convert any of them into goals.
The Warriors finally struck again when Spencer Carpenter chipped a ball over Robbins for a 2-1 lead.
“It felt like we can win this game,” Udeh said about Carpenter’s goal.
The Knights got unlucky shortly after Wells took the lead when a shot bounced and hit under the crossbar but didn’t cross the goal line.
Coyne said his team did create some quality scoring chances.
“I don’t think our offense sputtered as much as the composure wasn’t there, and the passing wasn’t spot-on like we are used to,” Coyne said.
Roy was awarded a second penalty kick, but Robbins (eight saves) stopped the attempt. However, Roy put home the rebound with five minutes remaining in the game.
“I was thinking if I shoot it hard enough, (Robbins) wouldn’t be able to catch it, and I would be there for a rebound,” Roy said.
Freshman Derek Martin capped the scoring for Wells.
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