Senior captain Conor Keating (2) directs traffic during Dover-Sherborn varsity soccer's 1-0 win over Bellingham on Wednesday. Photos by Mike Flanagan.
By Mike Flanagan
Hometown Weekly Sports Editor
The Dover-Sherborn High School varsity boys soccer entered last Wednesday afternoon’s contest with Bellingham still in search of their first win of the 2021 season.
After being shut out in two of their first three contests, offensive frustration continued for the Raiders in the early going as the game entered halftime still scoreless despite the Raiders controlling the tempo.
Still scoreless with 23:14 remaining, DS finally caught a break when Cathal Keating was hauled down in the box. The foul allotted the Raiders a penalty kick try to take the lead. Senior captain Conor Keating took the penalty and delivered a right-legged strike into the bottom right corner of the net to give the Raiders a 1-0 lead.
Just over two minutes later with Bellingham pressuring, senior goalie Matt Charron preserved the game for DS with a series of clutch saves. After sprawling to his right to turn away a shot from the center, Charron quickly got to his feet and stuffed the rebound try to keep the game 1-0.
DS gained momentum following the key saves by Charron as the Raiders took control during the final 20 minutes, locking down their end of the field and preventing any more legitimate scoring opportunities for Bellingham. The Raiders chewed out the remainder of the clock and prevailed by the 1-0 final.
The win improved Dover-Sherborn’s record to 1-3-0. On Saturday, the Raiders earned a 4-0 victory over Nipmuc Regional to climb to 2-3-0.
For funny and incisive sports analysis as well as video highlights of games, follow Mike Flanagan on his personal Twitter and Instagram handles @flano0.
