Sharon
Senior Ryan Jones netted the equalizer for South Royalton, plunking a deflection past Sharon keeper Dillon Buttner following an initial header by Connor Lambert in the 56th minute. The strike came after a corner kick delivered by Paraguayan exchange student Alvaro Sanabrio and erased a 1-0 Phoenix advantage that had stood since Olly Skeet-Browning’s goal in the seventh minute.
The result snapped a six-game losing streak for the Royals against the Phoenix and kept them unbeaten at 5-0-1. Sharon is 5-1-2.
Both teams had chances to net the winner down the stretch, while South Royalton finished with an 18-10 advantage in shots and a 6-1 edge in corner kicks.
South Royalton’s performance came after delivering double overtime wins on Friday at Whitcomb-Rochester (4-3) and Monday against Cabot (3-2).
The show of stamina sufficiently impressed fourth-year South Royalton coach Alex Montano.
“This one was all guts. They had nothing left, and they kept going,” said Montano, whose team carries 11 freshmen and sophomores. “We’re a young team, but we overcame a lot today with hard work.”
The Phoenix dictated tempo early, Skeet-Browning delivering a near-miss moments prior to landing his team-leading eighth of the year past Royals keeper Sam Fisk to make it 1-0. Skeet-Browing was the recipient of a well-placed lofted flick pass from near midfield by Sam Knoerlein.
Blanketing one-on-one coverage by Sharon center midfielder Cole Ward helped contain the smooth and shifty Sanabrio, who scored all three for the Royals during Monday’s win over Cabot.
Yet even when South Royalton’s attack stalled, the Phoenix was largely unable to counter with its usual possession-centered game. Undersized but not lacking athleticism, the Royals swarmed the ball in the defensive third to frustrate the hosts.
“They were very well-organized, and we didn’t respond well to it,” Sharon coach Rob Stainton said. “They were dropping guys back and did a good job being first to the ball. We gave away too many possessions.”
The Royals began to threaten near the end of the first half, Sanabrio launching a shot just over the crossbar in the 32nd minute and forcing a Buttner save with a mid-range bid in the 34th.
South Royalton’s Jacob Hewitt sent another one just high seven minutes into the second half, and Willy Barnes set up a strong chance by Skeet-Browning moments later that was gathered by Fisk.
The Royals finally broke through after Sanabrio’s corner-kick delivery to the goalmouth, Lambert putting a head on it for an angled shot that bounced off a defender to Jones, who had an open right side of the net for his third goal this year.
“I saw my chance and jumped on it,” said Jones, one of four South Royalton seniors. “We had a couple good chances on corners earlier in the game, but this time the ball bounced our way.”
Sharon defender Caleb Eastman got his body in front of a shot by Sanabrio to keep it a tie game with less than five minutes to play, and Sharon nearly made it 2-1 with 1:24 left when Knoerlein was one-on-one with Fisk near the right corner. Knoerlein attempted to send the ball to the gaping left side, but Fisk stretched across his body for an arm save to force overtime
“There’s nothing much more Sam could have done there,” Stainton said. “The keeper was in position and made a nice play.”
South Royalton’s best chance for a winner came with 6:27 left in the second OT, as freshman Jacob Barry jolting a one-touch pass in stride for Lambert, whose bid sailed wide.
The last chance of the game came with exactly one minute left, when Barnes fed freshman midfielder Tom Bissaillon for another header over the top.
Ties, of course, are never fully gratifying.
“Just like every game, this one gives us a chance to see some of the things we did wrong and try to improve,” Stainton said.
South Royalton, meanwhile, had to settle for a 2-0-1 mark through three consecutive double-OT games.
“If you had told me at the beginning of the year that we’d be disappointed coming into Sharon and leaving 5-0-1 instead of 6-0, I would have been excited,” Montano said. “I’m really proud of the heart the boys have been playing with.”
Free Kicks: The Royals are unbeaten through six games for the first time since 2004, when they were 17-0 before losing to Northfield in triple overtime of the Vermont Division III final. … There were only three fouls in the first half. … Sharon ended up whistled for nine fouls and South Royalton eight, including one yellow card each. … Asked by Sharon athletic director-scoreboard operator Blake Fabrikant prior to substituting into the first half of the match why he didn’t start, senior defender Eastman answered plainly, “I was in the bathroom.” … South Royalton had three games in five days in part because of makeups. They’ll now have a few days off until beginning a four-game homestand on Saturday against Rivendell. … Sharon visits Whitcomb-Rochester on Thursday.
Jared Pendak can be reached at jpendak@vnews.com or 603-727-3225.