By Ken Chaisson
Hometown Weekly Sports Reporter
The Walpole Timberwolves boys’ soccer began their season under perfect weather on Tuesday September 3, 2024 at the S.M. Lorusso Field Complex in Walpole as they faced the Wamps of Braintree. While Braintree came away with a 1-0 victory, Walpole showed it has talent to build on.
Lee Delaney, the boys soccer coach for the last 40 seasons shared: “the one thing we know about any Walpole team in any sport is that they compete.” The Herget Division of the Bay State League is loaded with boys’ soccer powerhouses. Coming into the season, Braintree feels that they can compete with the best.
Both Walpole and Braintree made the state tournament in 2023 and both exited in the round of 32. They split their season series last fall.
While Walpole has a senior-laden roster with 13 seniors on the 23 player squad, many of them have not seen any previous varsity action. Plus, Delaney is shorthanded with a couple of key players out with illness or injury. Captains Alberto Dayaa, Austin Feener, Peter LaRusso and Sean Hazel lead the team. Davis Potter scored seven goals as a sophomore and is due back in a few weeks.
Braintree dominated possession in the first half, but were fortunate to come away with the slim lead. The lone goal was created by an inadvertent hand ball penalty in the box. The resulting penalty shot to the upper right hand corner was the only shot that eluded junior goalkeeper Jack Towers all match.
Towers was immense the entire contest turning away over 15 shots in the first half as well as more than a half a dozen corner kicks in the second half. None of the saves were better than the two diving deflections late in the second half then defending the resulting corner kicks. He also made smart use of the cross bar multiple times on tips.
LaRusso and Feener kept the pressure on Braintree’s keeper in the first half. The Timberwolves best chance came on a header by Hemant Selvamurugan off a cross which went over the net. Sean Hazel was immense as center defense the entire game clearing multiple passes and rebounds whilst controlling the center of the pitch.
Braintree controlled much of the play in the first half but Walpole started winning more of the 50/50 balls in the second stanza. That led to Feener’s long run up the left side and cross to Luigi Francois that was turned away. Walpole pressured late in the half but were turned away by Braintree’s strong back line and keeper.
Walpole continues its season on the road against Needham on Thursday, September 12.
