BRUNSWICK

The opening six minutes of Monday night’s blustery Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference contest is something Brunswick High School boys soccer coach Mark Roma likely wants to bottle up and carry into the postseason.

Facing “Battle of the Bridge” rival Mt. Ararat on Senior Night, the Dragons scored just 22 seconds into the game, and six minutes later, doubled their lead as the stunned Eagles and coach Jack Rioux looked on.

Still, Mt. Ararat kept fighting, scratching and clawing its way back, finishing in a hard-fought 2-2 deadlock.

The Eagles left the pitch with a 7-4-3 mark, while the Dragons ended the regular season at 7-6-1.

“I wish we could have kept it going,” said Roma, whose Dragons appear to be in the No. 7 position in the Class A North Heal Point Standings. “These kids are playing with a lot of confidence. They came out and played like we knew they could play. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

Rioux was still in shock after the game, wondering why his team started so slowly.

“Whatever he said was magic … 22 seconds! We weren’t ready to play today and we came out flat. We regrouped and were fortunate to get the tie,” said the Mt. Ararat coach.

For Brunswick, it was all about the start. The Dragons quickly sprinted into the Mt. Ararat defensive zone, with Lee Taylor finding teammate Mats Rasch just 22 seconds in for a 1-0 Brunswick lead.

Rasch and Taylor helped to double the Brunswick lead. Taylor sent Rasch forward, and the exchange student from Germany found Everett Horch cutting toward the Mt. Ararat cage. Horch didn’t miss, and suddenly the Dragons had a 2-0 lead with just 6:12 off the clock.

“We came out so fast,” said Taylor.

Despite being down two goals, Mt. Ararat began to slow the game down, and it was the Eagles who found the next goal. Cole Kelly chipped a pass to Ethan Rac, and the Mt. Ararat junior didn’t miss, beating diving Brunswick goaltender Jared Hummer with 17:24 left in the first half.

“They got us on our heels, but we got everything together. We talked about getting that next goal,” said Rac.

“You knew they were going to come back,” Roma said. “Jack talks a good game and he is a good coach. They are a tough team over there. The cliche is the records can be thrown out, and that is very true.”

“They fought back to get to 2-1 and fought to get the tie,” said Rioux. “You play Brunswick, it is going to be a battle. You know it is going to be a one-goal game every time you play them.”

Eagles tie it

In the second half, it was Mt. Ararat that found that quick strike. Rac took advantage of a Brunswick miscue in the midfield. He carried the ball down the right side of the field before launching a perfectly-placed shot into the far left corner to tie the game 3:58 into the second frame.

“Mt. Ararat is a good team, and they just came back,” said Taylor.

Neither squad sat back from there. Brunswick answered with a solid possession right after Mt. Ararat’s tying goal, with Eagles goaltender Gavin Patterson making one of his nine saves. Patterson later stopped a hard shot from Rasch with 16 minutes remaining in regulation.

Throw-ins from Mt. Ararat defender Dalton Streeter caused havoc in front of Hummer’s cage. The Eagles’ best chance at breaking the tie came with 10:30 remaining. Kelly drove toward the Brunswick cage, with Hummer charging out to smother Kelly’s pointblank try. The rebound bounced to Rac, whose shot sailed high of the target.

“These guys have all heart and they put it on the line every time out,” Rioux said.

In the first five-minute overtime, Brunswick’s Emmet Taub had his shot stopped by Patterson, and in the second OT, Max Spelke sailed a free kick above the Brunswick cage as the teams settled for a 2-2 draw.

The Dragons, who finished the regular season on a 7-1-1 run after an 0-5 start, will likely be road warriors come playoff time. However, Roma is confident that his team will be ready.

“I just want us to get better every drill, every game, every possession,” said Roma.

Mt. Ararat, currently fourth in the standings, held a 24-17 shot advantage, with Hummer making 10 saves in the Brunswick cage.

Mt. Ararat 2,
Brunswick 2

At Brunswick
Mt.Ararat — 1 1 0 0 — 2
Brunswick — 2 0 0 0 — 2 
Goals — (MtA) Ethan Rac 2; (B)
Mats Rasch, Everett Horch.
Assists — (MtA) Cole Kelly; (B) Lee
Taylor, Mats Rasch.
Shots — Mt. Ararat 24, Brunswick
17.
Saves — (MtA) Gavin Patterson 9;
(B) Jared Hummer 10.
Corner kicks — Mt. Ararat 8,
Brunswick 3.
Records — Mt. Ararat 7-4-3,
Brunswick 7-6-1.
Up next for the Eagles and the Dragons — Class A North quarterfinals.
Opponent, date and time to be
announced.

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