43
Tigers' team effort
Nicholas scores 3 times to keep Howland undefeated
By Matthew Peaslee
HOWLAND
It was the Three Musketeers who first coined the phrase, “All for one and one for all.”
The Howland girls soccer team explemplified that the motto can apply to 24 Tigers, as well.
In its 6-2 defeat of visiting Poland on Wednesday, Howland put together what coach Pat Hovance called a “total team effort.”
It was the first time he truly felt he could admit that in what has been an undefeated season so far.
“We’ve been waiting all year to really put it together,” he said. “Tonight was a good night to do it. To start like we did, to finish like we did, there’s nothing I can really say but, wow.”
Less than five minutes into the game, Olivia Nicholas scored the first goal of the night. Just two minutes later, Erika Nites added the second.
Nites, a senior forward, gladly pass es off any credit to her teammates. At the 15:36 mark of the first half, she got tangled up with a Poland defender while threatening to score again. It resulted in a foul call giving her a penalty kick. At that time, Nites said a million things could be going through her head. But a familiar, comfortable voice was there to ease the situation.
“I got Liv [Nicholas] in my ear telling me I can do it,” Nites said. “So I didn’t get very nervous.”
The tension settled and Nites snuck it past Poland keeper Abbie Frank.
Nicholas, a fellow senior, ended the night with three goals.
With a five-goal lead heading into the locker room, addrenaline was flowing freely for the Tigers.
“Getting an early lead definitely set our momentum and got us pumped for the rest of the game,” forward Shannon Martorana said.
“But we wanted to keep going harder because we didn’t want to give up easy,” added Nicholas. “They’re a good team and we needed to stay ahead.”
The true mark of teamwork is always shown when the players can finish each other sentences, right?
The Tigers (5-0-1) truly think so, and it’s working for them.
Poland coach John Cavalier noticed something else that gave Howland an edge. It was a simple manuever that always seemed to get them deep in the Bulldogs’ zone.
“I call it ‘flicking the ball.’ They’ll get the ball in the middle of the field and they’ll attack four people,” Cavalier said. “If you don’t identify it, that’s when it gets you. It’ll put you to sleep when you’re not looking for it.”
The Tigers final goal came by way of that flick.
A series of passes got the ball downfield to an open Nicholas who easily tapped it in.
“Earlier this year we were inconsistent and we just did enough to get by,” Hovance said. “Tonight we showed the potential we can have as a team.”
Poland’s goals were netted in the second half. The first was off a corner kick. Erin Gabriel received it, missed a shot, then Maura Bobby eventually put it away. Meredith Testa scored the second goal on a header, and Rachael Robinson was credited with the assist.