White River Junction
Brady was involved in all three Hartford goals, scoring two and assisting on another all off of set pieces. His assist, in the 11th minute, was a demonstration of accuracy, a cross into the box on a free kick that bent just enough to find the head of a streaking Alex St. Martin, a fellow senior defender. Brady also was all over Hartford’s defensive third, repelling what few chances the out-of-sync Lancers managed to string together.
“He’s an all-league, all-state type of player,” fourth year Hartford head coach Kevin Guilbault said. “It starts with him. He organizes us well. He’s the leader of the team. … (Brady) was the best player on the field today.”
That all three of Hartford’s goals were scored by center backs is a testament to the Hurricanes’ confidence in their defensive corps, which has been unafraid to join in the offensive attack. The defense also has been what Guilbault’s team has relied upon in a season not kind to its goal-scorers.
The Hurricanes allowed more goals (18) than it scored (16) through 14 regular season games this fall, but entered the playoffs with a 7-5-2 record, same as a year ago. Last season, that record made them the No. 5 seed in D-II, when is outscored foes 33-15 in the regular season.
This year, with a much less potent offense and a more defensive mindset, Hartford entered the tournament in the division’s top three, thanks to a schedule loaded with D-I opponents.
“I think that comes down to how we defend as a team,” Brady said. “It’s definitely not just the backs. It’s everyone getting organized, working hard when we lose the ball to get the ball back. … We work on (set pieces) a lot, we all know, especially at this time of the year, how important it is to put those in.”
First-year senior goalkeeper Alex Valley needed to make only two saves for the shutout, his second since taking over the starting job in mid-season.
Guilbault entered the year planning on starting the freshman keeper duo of Ian O’Brien and Shane Miller. Valley — who said he hadn’t played a fall sport for the last two years and decided to join the soccer team on a whim — signed up late and needed time to learn the position.
“I’m not really sure why I signed up … soccer just seemed like a fun thing to do, so I tried out,” Valley said. “(Goalkeeping) was something I originally wanted to do. I can’t really play the field. I’m not very coordinated to play with these guys.”
Valley’s emergence has solidified Hartford’s back end, which allowed six goals while the Canes went 4-1-1 over their last six regular season games. It also has given Miller and O’Brien time to get used to the tempo of varsity play.
“When (Valley’s) gotten his opportunity, he’s a really good athlete,” Guilbault said. “He’s extremely coachable, which has helped. He’s picked his level up.”
Brady scored his first of the afternoon in the 21st minute, heading in a corner kick from Pat McGlone, that gave Hartford a 2-0 lead at halftime in addition to St. Martin’s goal.
The senior added an insurance goal midway through the second half, finishing off a short corner kick with a long strike from outside the box, assisted by Nick Jones, for his fourth of the year. It also was his first two-goal game of the season.
“It’s been a while (since I’ve scored two in a game),” Brady said with a laugh. “Probably not in high school. … If someone had told me I was going to score two goals, I probably wouldn’t have believed them.”
Guilbault admitted that his team misses the presence of striker Kyle Prior, who is still recovering from an ACL tear he suffered during lacrosse season in the spring. Prior, a senior captain, led the Canes with 14 goals and five assists last season. His absence created a hole that Hartford’s coaching staff is still looking to fill.
But the Canes coach is confident in his team’s leadership — captains Brady, Prior, McGlone and St. Martin — and hopes its defensive structure is enough to carry Hartford back to the D-II semifinals, after reaching it last season for the first time since 1993.
“I give the guys all the credit in the world,” Guilbault said. “It would have been easy for them to say, ‘You know what, we don’t have our top goal-scorer, our top player from the year before.’ And rather than let it get them down or let it (take away from) what they’re doing, it kind of rallied (them) around each other in terms of, ‘We’ve got to find a way to get it done.’ They’re not letting not having Kyle as an excuse.”
The third-seeded Canes will host No. 6 Harwood in the D-II quarterfinals at 3 p.m. on Friday at Maxfield.
Notes: Rain got heavy late in the second half, but wind was a factor all afternoon. “It was a little bit tough, especially at the start of the second half, when we were playing into it,” Brady said. “But I think we adjusted to it.” … Maxfield’s varsity soccer field features a new scoreboard, a gift from the Class of 2017. Hartford athletic director Jeff Moreno said the scoreboard was installed midway through the season. … Harwood (8-3-1) defeated No. 11 Stratton Mountain, 3-2, in its D-II first round match on Tuesday.
Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.