By Max Clifford
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Tuesday night was senior night at Dover-Sherborn High School as the varsity boys’ soccer team took the field for their final scheduled home game of the 2023 season. Facing the team they had played to open the season, the Raiders outdid themselves, shutting out Bellingham 4-0 to improve to 8-5-1 on the season.
After being recognized with their families on the field pregame, an all-senior starting lineup for Dover-Sherborn wasted no time commencing the scoring. In the ninth minute, a save from the Bellingham goalkeeper bounced right into the control of Jono Windle who snuck it past the tender for a 1-0 Raiders lead.
A few minutes later, the Hawks had an opportunity to knot the game at one apiece. The lone player standing in the way for Dover-Sherborn, goalie Oliver Edni came out of the goal to meet the shot head-on, keeping it out of the net and preserving the 1-0 lead.
Looking to stretch his team’s advantage before half, a big risk from Dover-Sherborn’s Sam Dos Santos paid dividends. Seeing the Bellingham goalie out of position, the senior forward took a shot on the goal from 40 yards away. Cheers erupted from the Raiders’ sideline as the high-arcing boot sailed over the head of the keeper and into the net. The score stood at 2-0 at the halftime break.
In the second half, the Raiders looked to cushion their lead. With a group of reserves taking the field, it was freshman Ty Miller’s turn to find the back of the net. With just over 25 minutes left in the game, the Raiders had matched the 3-0 final score from their season-opening victory at Bellingham, but they were not done yet.
In the 62nd minute, a Dover-Sherborn corner kick allowed John Martin to put a cross into the box for Simon Hart to head into the net. The fourth and final goal of the evening gave the Raiders their second-biggest margin of victory on the season.
Following a 2022 season during which the Raiders made a deep run in the postseason, head coach Joe Gruseck has held this year’s squad to a similarly high standard. After a stretch of four shutout losses in five games, Gruseck anticipates that the senior night victory will be what his squad needs to get back on track.
“Tonight hopefully is a turning point for us. We started out real strong this season, then hit a bit of a slump,” Gruseck said after the contest. “Hopefully this is a turning point and the fun’s back into it and we can go on a run here again.”
