Lebanon
Three goals and two assists, all via headers, sparked the Raiders to a 4-0 victory over Kearsarge in their boys soccer home opener.
The aerial assault began 3:31 into the game with a deep Lebanon free kick from the right side by JoJo Hammond. The ball was placed just 10 feet inside midfield, then Hammond’s crossing pass found Julian Stott’s head at the 18-yard line, setting up Luke Sandmann’s header over the goalie.
Sandmann’s strike occurred on a set play Lebanon had practiced repeatedly during the previous day’s practice.
“It took us a half hour to score on that play with no defenders,” Lebanon coach Rob Johnstone said. “But we kept going. I told them we couldn’t stop until they got it. … Then all of the sudden the first one out there (against Kearsarge) goes in.”
Sandmann, who stayed busy Thursday breaking down Kearsarge defenders and distributing passes to teammates, was one of many players contributing to a clear game plan. The approach emphasized executing off of set pieces, and for good reason.
“We were coming off a frustrating loss to John Stark,” Johnstone said of Wednesday’s 1-0 result. “We had 14 corner kicks, they had two, and we had a ton of long throw-ins and restarts. (Wednesday), the entire focus was on sharpening up our restarts.”
“We drove (the importance of restarts Wednesday) and really figured that out,” echoed Owen Johnstone, a junior midfielder and the 24th-year coach’s son. “A point’s a point, but I liked it that way because that’s what we worked on.”
Lebanon scored its second goal with 18:27 elapsed, when Graham Chickering delivered a right-side chip pass to the middle of the 18 where Nate Gariepy headed it home. The teammates’ timing was impeccable.
“The first half was our best so far of the season,” said Chickering, a co-captain (with Carter Adams), who helped his team control the midfield and dominate the high-tempo game.
“We were able to move the ball a lot quicker than we did against John Stark,” goalie Davis Cole said. “Our field definitely helps with that. (John Stark) has a really narrow field and it’s hard to play wide. When we can open up the field it makes it easier for our guys.”
Halftime saw the hosts sitting on a 2-0 lead that could easilyhave been twice as large on account of their multitude of attempts off free kicks and throw-ins.
A long throw-in from Hammond to Owen Johnstone’s head seven minutes into the second half set up yet another header goal, this time by Adams.
Noah Ryder capped off the scoring with an unassisted free kick down the stretch, bucking the day’s trend by finishing with his feet.
Kearsarge nearly blemished Lebanon’s shutout with 20 minutes remaining on a breakaway opportunity. Cole stopped the ensuing shot with a quick dive to his right, knocking the ball just out of bounds.
Johnstone seemed pleased with his team’s ability to troubleshoot the shortcomings that were evident against John Stark.
“We really wanted to penetrate them with a first pass deep,” Johnstone said. “Then could we run beyond the ball and get on the end of it? We design it to have the bodies arrive at the right time.”
Free Kicks: Lebanon improved to 2-1 including the road loss to John Stark and a 3-0 season-opening road victory at Bow. … Seven different players have scored the Raiders’ seven goals this season. … Lebanon will host Trinity at 4 p.m., Tuesday prior to three road games.