RallyNorth.net

Sat, Nov 04, 2017 04:00 PM @ Windham

Team	1st	2nd	OT	Final
Playoff Game
Pembroke	1	0	1	2
Windham	1	0	0	1

Windham falls on 55-yard goal in double OT of Division 2 final

Saturday, November, 04 By By Mac Cerullo

MANCHESTER, N.H. - How could it possibly end like this?

For more than 90 minutes, Windham and Pembroke boys soccer played to a draw in the N.H. Division 2 state championship game. After numerous close chances and huge saves late in regulation and in overtime for both teams, the thrilling title match looked sure to end in a shootout.

Then, with about four minutes remaining in double overtime, Pembroke's Jackson Putnam booted up a prayer from a couple yards in front of the midfield line. Somehow, the ball carried more than 50 yards all the way to the goal and ate the keeper up, bouncing into the goal to give Pembroke the 2-1 win.

As Pembroke's players poured onto the field in celebration, all the Windham players could do was stare in stunned disbelief as their season came to an end in the most shocking and heartbreaking way possible.

"It's not what they pictured or envisioned, they worked really hard to put themselves into position to win this game," said Windham coach Mike Hachey. "There are times they controlled the game and there were times we controlled the game, but we lost to a very good team today and they certainly are a championship team."

Pembroke's game-winner was actually the second deep goal Windham conceded in the final. Pembroke's first goal, which came only four minutes into the game, also came from more than 30 yards out on a deep attempt by Matt Ferguson. Immediately following the goal, Windham made a goalie change, and the back-up made some excellent stops the rest of the way prior to the final play. Hachey declined to comment on the goalies after the game.

The finish marred what was otherwise an excellent performance by Windham, and particularly senior forward Kyle Cocciardi, who deserved to be the game's hero after scoring the game-tying goal and returning from a painful ankle injury to nearly score the winner.

Cocciardi's goal - his 21st of the season - came on a brilliant header off a cross by senior Jake Morgan with less than a minute remaining before halftime. In the second half, Cocciardi looked to be done after spraining his ankle on a play in the box, forcing two coaches to help him off the field. After getting taped up, he wound up returning 15 minutes later and nearly scored had winner on three different scoring chances.

"He wasn't moving very well after he got taped up, but it took a little while for it to settle in a bit, and when we were comfortable with his movement we put him back out there and it was a lift for us," Hachey said. "He's a huge difference maker. Obviously he scored the game tying goal, he scored 21 this season, so you want him on the field, even if he's not full strength, but we needed to be sure that he wasn't going to damage himself in any way."

The first of those chances, a play where he beat his man down the left sideline and got a clear shot at the goal, was a rocket that was just barely tipped wide of the goal by a diving Tyler Smith. Smith finished with 15 saves, perhaps the biggest coming two minutes into double overtime, when he made a ridiculous stop on Cam Chrissis shortly before Putnam's winner.

After the game, a jubilant Putnam said he hardly ever scores, and he didn't really expect his shot to go in.

"I honestly just didn't want to run anymore and took the shot," Putnam said. "I was just like 'I want to win this, hopefully this goes in,' and it did."

Windham finishes its season 17-2, while Pembroke wraps up at 18-1-1 and captures its first state championship in boys soccer since 1958.