By Riley Fontana
Hometown Weekly Reporter
The Dover-Sherborn Raiders boys’ varsity soccer faced off against the Holliston Panthers in the third round of the MIAA Division 3 playoffs. Dover-Sherborn fought hard the entire game to come out 2-1 and advance to the Final Four.
Dover-Sherborn came out hot in the first half, leaving everything on the field. Senior Captain Jack Martin had a full field pass, to put up a scoring attempt early on. Sophomore Will Sarhaddi immediately proved himself a force on the field, fighting with Holliston players for control of the ball. Junior goalkeeper Patrick Driscoll was a key player the entire game, blocking out attempts from Holliston. Senior Matt Speyer was a force on defense, pushing Holliston back into their zone.
Junior Wesley Bunn immediately struck fear into the Holliston bench, utilizing his speed to evade every player. Martin put up a shot on goal, getting turned away by Holliston’s goalie. Senior Simon Hart was able to break away from the opposing defense to attempt a shot on goal, being turned away. Holliston scored their first and only goal, on a penalty kick, with 16:33 left in the half. Bunn blocked a huge shot from Holliston just to turn around and put his own scoring attempt on their goal. Senior Eric Wells played hard defense, contributing a massive save to keep Holliston to one goal.
Dover-Sherborn turned the game around in the second half. Driscoll put up massive saves to stop Holliston from expanding their lead. Junior Winston Bunn contributed to the offense, pushing through Holliston’s defense. Senior Reaves Debin attempted a massive shot on goal but was unable to make it past the goalkeeper. Hart was able to net a goal, only for it to be called off on an offsides penalty, but Dover-Sherborn would not let this stop them. With 19:30 left in the game, Winston Bunn scored the opening goal for Dover-Sherborn assisted by Debin. Hart got his goal with 6:19 left to play, giving Dover-Sherborn the lead they needed to win.
The Dover-Sherborn Raiders will advance to the semi-finals against the Medfield Warriors. If they can win against Medfield they will advance to the final and play for the State Championship title.
