Hawken’s late goal ends Badger’s year

October 31, 2013 at 12:06a.m.

By KEVIN CONNOLLY

BRUNSWICK

For more than 79 minutes, the Badger boys soccer team had executed its game plan against Gates Mills Hawken to perfection.

With the regional semifinal match knotted at one, and the final 30 seconds winding down, a misplaced back pass by the Braves gave the Hawks a throw-in — and more importantly a chance for one final rush.

The ball found its way to the feet of Aidan Bobrow deep inside the Badger box, and the freshman fired a shot into the back of the net that he won’t soon forget.

The Braves were 19 seconds from forcing overtime against a team that had dominated them in the past, but all that disappeared in the blink of an eye. The final seconds ticked off the Brunswick High School scoreboard and Hawken emerged victorious once more, 2-1.

“It’s tough to lose it in the closing seconds of a game like that,” Badger coach Justin Deraway said. “My team gave it everything they had and we just fell short.”

Many Braves players dropped to their knees as the final whistle blew on the match and their season. Teammates attempted to console one another, but for some, there was no fighting the tears.

“I’m so proud of everybody, I don’t even know how to explain it,” an emotional Richie Roscoe said. “I had my doubts, but we all played together in the end and I really love this team. I can’t picture myself with a different team. I love it. I don’t want it to be over.”

Badger (16-2-1) never possessed the ball for long stretches of the match, never had more than a handful of players around the net and never peppered Hawks goalie Grant Gilchrist with shots.

None of that mattered to the Braves. They knew that wasn’t going to be the difference in the game.

“We thought our best chance was if we could defend, defend, defend and then at key times try and counter on them,” Deraway said. “It worked very well all game, we just couldn’t get that final goal in.”

Hawken (12-7-1) broke a scoreless tie in the 62nd minute on a great individual effort by senior captain Patrick Connors. He dribbled the ball from his left to right, across the middle of the field, and then unleashed a shot across the goal mouth from 25 yards out that snuck past a diving Jared Meikle into the left corner of the net.

The Braves then answered in the 69th minute as a streaking Daniel Bevilaqua ripped a shot past Gilchrist to even the score. The chance was set up by Roscoe, who let the ball go through his legs to give Bevilaqua an uncontested shot.

“I was just trying to get the ball and I heard Danny come down behind me,” Roscoe said. “He said he was there so I left it.”

The Hawks outshot Badger 25-8, dominated the scoring chances 14-3, and had 10 corners to the Braves’ zero. However not once did the game feel out of reach for Deraway’s squad.

“From the start, we knew if we were gonna stick in it we had to play a defensive game,” he said. “So we focused on defense all week. We focused on trying to transition and have quick counter attacks, which I thought we did a great job with.

“Right now it hurts, but looking back on it, I’m sure the kids are going to be proud of it. I’m proud of it right now.”