Lebanon
The Raiders’ boys soccer team used relentless patience that fit Pearson’s style, relying on small touches and a controlled attack. Lebanon also took advantage when it found an opening, scoring two goals in the second half to top Hollis Brookline, 3-2, on Friday afternoon in its season opener.
Pearson, a Norwich native who played two varsity seasons at Hanover High, took over for veteran coach Rob Johnstone over the summer after coaching the region’s Lightning Soccer Club for four years. Lebanon went 12-5-1 last fall and lost 11 seniors to graduation. Under a new coach, implementing a new system — and a new formation — could have taken weeks to develop.
None of those growing pains showed against the Cavaliers.
“They’ve come a long way in two weeks from a 4-4-2 (formation) to a 4-3-3,” said Pearson. “They’ve transitioned so well. … Once we fine-tune a couple of things, they got it. They took it and ran with it.
“That’s what we’re looking for,” he added. “Little touches, very basic, very simple. For the most part, they played my style that I wanted to see. We can only get better from here.”
Pat Mason opened the scoring 17:30 into the first half on a goal for the highlight reel, taking a Logan Falzarano crossing pass in the box that he settled on his chest, knocked high over a Hollis Brookline defender and sent toward goal before the ball touched the ground.
“In a game, that’s the first time (I’ve done that),” Mason said with a laugh. “After I chested it, it ended up being a little far out, so I was like, ‘If I can tap this back here’ … Then once it was in the air, I had to try and drive it home.”
Mason knew Pearson from Lightning soccer and said he was pleased when a familiar face got the coaching job.
“I really like him,” Mason said. “When I heard the job was open, I shot him a text. … He’s very good on uniting the team, and he’s big on controlling the ball. Those are things that I think are really important as well. It’s good to have a coach that has the same mindset as me.”
Lebanon controlled play for much of the first half, taking four shots on Hollis goalkeeper Ryan Coutu. But the Cavaliers answered before halftime, tying the game with 2:44 remaining in the half off a cross in the box from J.J. Kennedy that found Joey Dias, who beat Lebanon goalkeeper Jorgen Leuthauser to the far side. The teams were tied, 1-1, at halftime.
“(Halftime) was the reset we needed,” Pearson said. “All through preseason, we’ve only been together for two weeks, you only have two weeks to get them in shape. … That’s our limit. If we’re at 30 minutes now, we need to be up to 40 so mistakes like that don’t happen. Possession-wise, (the Cavaliers) were smart; they played well in the last 10 minutes of each half. We can only improve from that.”
Lebanon wasted no time in the second half, scoring back-to-back goals in 4 minutes, 32 seconds to take a 3-1 lead. John Moorehead put the Raiders back in front by finishing off a stretch pass by Falzarano that he drilled into the back of the net on a breakaway. Ben Tichner added to the lead on a cross from Tyler St. Martin that he finished with 26:49 remaining.
The Raiders kept Hollis Brookline hemmed in its own half until Kennedy broke loose on a breakaway with 16:09 to goal, making it a one-goal game. But Leuthauser stood strong to close out the win, fending off five second-half shots as part of his nine saves total for the victory. Lebanon’s defense also managed to clear the potentially game-tying goal from the goal line after a Hollis corner kick led to a scramble in front of the Raiders’ net.
More than anything, Pearson said, it felt good to get his first win out of the way.
“I couldn’t sleep last night, so I had to go home between our session this morning and take a nap,” he said. “It calms the nerves a little bit. It’s very exciting. … We start off like that, who knows how far we’ll go.”
Lebanon takes on Bow (0-1) on Tuesday. The Falcons lost to Milford, 7-6, on Friday.
Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.