WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — Hartford High got out to an early lead but could not stave off a second-half comeback as it fell to the reigning VPA Division II state champions from Milton, 3-1, in a D-II boys soccer semifinal at Maxfield Sports Complex on Wednesday.
Hurricanes head coach Connor Brooks said he was “gutted” for his squad, which was 14-1-0 up to the semifinal and entered the playoffs as the No. 1 seed.
“I thought we had a really good first half. We were ahead by a goal going into halftime, and then started the second half a little bit slow,” he said.
“I thought we battled until the very end,” he added. “I’m proud of that. Proud of their effort. Proud of their energy, and their compete level today.”
Hartford’s lone goal against the No. 5-seeded Yellow Jackets came from junior Max Capurso, assisted by senior Liam Applebee.
That Applebee-to-Capurso connection gave the Canes the lead with 26:40 remaining in the first half. The former sent a ball toward the left portion of the 18-yard box, which the latter corralled and finished for a goal after it ricocheted off a Milton defender.
Up 1-0, Hartford kept the pressure up, earning multiple corners but couldn’t capitalize to extend its lead. Milton got chances as the first half wore on, too, including a rifle of a shot from junior Joshua Rhoades at the top of the 18-yard box that went high and wide.
The Canes’ one-goal lead held into the break, but it didn’t last long after the action resumed.
One minute into the second half, sophomore Matthew Shedd sent a deep ball in that rolled near the goal line, wide left of the net. Junior Jack Tomasi secured it, kept it in play, dribbled along the goal line, evaded Hartford defenders and scored to tie the match.
“We dove in on the end line there, and then another defender came flying out, not under control as well, and he was able to go around him, and then it was a one-on-one with the keeper,” Brooks said of the sequence.
“We weren’t quite doing what we needed to do in that moment, and it cost us.”
The Yellow Jackets took the lead about nine minutes later when sophomore Chase Renaud intercepted Hartford’s attempt to switch the pitch on the offensive end.
The sophomore sent the ball to junior Killian Choquette, who made a run and was taken down in the box, setting up a penalty. Rhoades finished to put the Yellow Jackets up 2-1.
Hartford had chances for the rest of the second half, including a sequence a few minutes after the PK when the Canes couldn’t finish a loose ball in the 18-yard box after a free kick.
Milton added a goal to make it 3-1 with about eight minutes remaining, effectively putting the game out of reach for Hartford.
After the dust settles from the playoff loss, Brooks and his squad have at least one thing to look back on fondly — growth.
“I mean, the growth was honestly amazing,” Brooks said, noting that this season’s roster was similar to last year, except for a couple of graduated seniors.
“Their growth from the beginning — even last season, all the way through to the end of last season and into this season — just to see how much they’ve grown, how close-knit they are and how hard they want to compete on the field is pretty special.”
