SOUTH ROYALTON — Kyle Carter didn’t so much punch the clock as give it a good, swift kick.
The junior center midfielder’s 20-yard, 65th-minute blast answered an opportunistic first career goal for White River Valley freshman Finn Bailey, giving Carter’s Rivendell Academy boys soccer team a 1-1 draw with Bailey’s Wildcats on Monday. The Raptors (4-1-2), who entered the day ranked first in VPA Division IV, dominated possession and the shot chart, but an organized WRV defense stymied them until Carter’s bell-ringer of a goal.
“I think we showed perseverance,” Carter said. “Coming down 1-0, I don’t think we showed any signs of giving up, in that sense. I think we played a full game.”
The result thrilled Wildcat coach Alex Montano, who has spent much of this coronavirus-truncated season tweaking his team’s lineup and formation in hopes of finding a worthy mix.
WRV dropped a midfielder back to form a five-man defensive wall early in the match when it became apparent the Raptors (4-1-2) could be lethal banging balls over the top. They also picked up a serviceable seven-save effort from striker-turned-goalkeeper Dominic Craven to go with Bailey’s surprise strike against the run of play.
“We’ve had a really tough start,” Montano said. “We’ve been fiddling around with our formations. We settled on what we had today, and the boys played so hard. There’s not one of them that you could ask more from.”
Rivendell coach Kevin Brooker is no fan of Monday games; he fears his Raptors will react slowly to them, to the point of putting them through a light workout on Sunday. While the finishing wasn’t there early, the connections nearly were.
Playing the maestro’s role, Carter regularly targeted senior A.J. DeBois with looping feeds and let the striker try to chase them down. He had a good opportunity just seven minutes into the contest, getting off a contested drive with WRV defender Carder Stratton on his shoulder, beating Craven but clattering the crossbar.
That wasn’t enough to awaken the Raptors, nor was a 30th-minute scare at their own end. Central defender Kyle Rinehimer got his head on a White River Valley cross only to have the ball ricochet goalward and off the high woodwork. Rivendell goalkeeper Owen Mansur (six saves) recovered and swallowed up Jack Simack’s follow-up bid from the left wing.
Bailey put the visitors on notice at 38:12. Mansur swatted away a dangerous Wildcat corner kick, but the ball went right to the diminutive freshman for the first-time putaway.
“He’s 100 pounds — not even that — soaking wet, but he’s fearless,” Montano said. “He’s enthusiastic, and he will not stop running the whole time. He has a lot of self-confidence, and that helps.”
The experience of reaching the D-IV semifinals last year means the Raptors don’t panic when challenged. Carter’s superb individual effort at 63:41 showed, with the junior taking on two WRV defenders before wrapping his foot around a long drive that curled inside the right post out of Craven’s reach.
“We did not go belly-up at all,” DeBois said. “We kept coming.”
White River Valley’s attack has been sluggish without Craven, who only returned to action from a sprained ankle on Monday. With last year’s leading scorer, Paul Metzer (13 goals), gone home to Germany and Craven out, teams could clamp down on senior wing Jacob Barry without fear of reprisal.
Craven’s athleticism, however, could be an asset with the postseason around the corner. Three good ankles wouldn’t have helped him on Carter’s blast, but he was there for every other shot.
Mansur saved his best for last, forcing Simack to pull an open bid wide of goal midway through the second 10-minute overtime.
“I wouldn’t want to play us, I know that,” Montano said of the Wildcats’ playoff prospects. “We’ve grown in confidence and in skill, as well. I think we’re definitely underdogs, but it’d be tough to go against us.”
Rivendell finishes its regular season in Orford on Thursday, hosting Sharon in what could be a delicious D-IV tournament preview. The Wildcats entertain West Rutland on Friday. The VPA releases its soccer tourney fields next Monday.
Greg Fennell can be reached at gfennell@vnews.com or 603-727-3226.