WEST CANAAN — Ben Seiler thought he would be bringing the good news to the dinner table.
The sophomore striker for Mascoma High boys soccer scored all five goals in the Royals’ win over Winnisquam on Tuesday. But when he walked into his house after the game, he was greeted by his father, who had some better news to share.
His sister, Emily, an eighth-grader at the next-door Indian River School, netted a hat trick for the Tigers in their game against Lempster.
One afternoon, two Seilers and eight goals.
“My dad came up to me and asked me how many I had, and I said five. He said my sister had three,” Seiler said Thursday after Mascoma’s 10-1 victory over Newfound. “It was a pretty cool moment for my family. She’s doing pretty well; guess it runs in the family.
“My sister, we’ve grown up together playing soccer, and soccer’s her favorite sport. Just playing in the backyard together all the time and helping her out by coaching her. My dad’s been a big help. He pushes us a lot. That’s why we are where we are today. She’s only going to be in high school next year. So we’ll see what she can do.”
Seiler’s output against Winnisquam on Tuesday wasn’t a surprise.
He added four goals against Newfound on Thursday to bring his season count to 21.
Down 1-0 early, he scored on a pass from Cole Moulton in the 23rd minute. Less then 15 minutes later he gave the Royals the lead on a goal to the top-right corner, thanks to a pass from Moulton again, firing over a Newfound player’s head.
The Bears struggled trying to find a way to stop Seiler. His ability to use speed at the right moments led to multiple one-on-one opportunities with the goalie, and Mascoma’s barrage of eight second-half goals had to do with his playmaking ability.
What helps the Royals’ success on the defensive side of the ball has a direct correlation with Seiler’s ability to move the ball. Mascoma pressured the Newfound defense most of the afternoon, resulting in 35 shots on net to Newfound’s five.
“Just watch him play,” Mascoma teammate Olivia Bean said. “You can just tell he’s dedicated to the game. He always works hard, and he’s a big part of the team. I think it’s really important that he’s such a threat. It lets everyone else kind of relax and focus on their play because he can get some easy goals.
“We can focus on playing the game, keeping everything together, moving the ball up and keeping it clean. Takes the pressure off the defense.”
Added coach Keli Green: “A good portion of our scoring has to do with him. But he’s not just our goal scorer. He is a playmaker; it’s setting up the plays that put another foot on the ball. He is very important, not only as the top scorer, but as a playmaker.”
Last season didn’t settle well with Seiler. His freshman campaign resulted in a 6-10 record without a playoff berth. Thursday’s victory beat the win total from last year. Bean and Green know that the Royals’ playoff chances heavily rest with Seiler.
More and more opponents are double-teaming him and forcing him to depend on other teammates, but he’s expecting it.
Anything to avenge last season’s finish, even if it means a few extra backyard practices with Emily.
Notes: Mascoma improved to 7-4-0 on the season. … Moulton, Dylan Pelton, Ben Scwarz and Cameron Stebbins each tallied second-half goals. Gavin Giovagnoli had two goals and an assist. Michael Steckbeck-Piper tied the team high with two assists. Isaac Rayno added an assist. … Mascoma hosts Hillsboro-Deering on Tuesday.
Pete Nakos can be reached at pnakos@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.
Correction
Emily Seiler earlier this week netted a hat trick for the Indian River School. An earlier version of this story gave an incorrect first name for the eighth-grade soccer player.