St. Thomas played host to Monadnock on a game that was switched from Saturday afternoon to Friday to beat the rain. The Saints had a day off from school today so players showed up at the field in one and twos. Ryan Price had to pay his mother $20.00 to go back to their house and get the cleats he forgot. (Coach wants at least $10.00 for letting him play after his Mom went through all that trouble.)
Game Captains Mark Miller and Brent Snyder went out to represent the team for the toss.
The Saints started out with Owen Cook and Tom Carroll as strikers. The midfield of Brent Snyder, Justin Guilbert, Jamie and Jerry Phontharaksa. The defense of Matt Roginski as Stopper, Nick Blunier and Tom Gibney as Fullbacks and Mark Miller as Sweeper. Colin McBride was in the net for St. Thomas.
The first shot went way over the bar and the ball was probably out on Rt 16.
Carroll and Cook head back after the Monadnock Keeper came off his line to scoop up the ball.
The Saints controlled the midfield and kept 9 to10 Monadnock players on defense.
At 8:15 Carroll scored off an assist from Cook as the striker duo teamed up to put the Saints up 1-0.
Peter Bergeron and Peter Shwaegerle went in as Strikers at 8:15 after the goal.
At 11:07 Taylor MacDonald, Andy Stone, Keith Hallock and Bryan Hennigan went in at midfield.
13:19 into the game Shwaegerle sent a pass to Stone who beat the Monadnock Keeper to put St. Thomas up 2-0.
At 16:10 Ryan Price and Linas Kenter entered the game as Strikers.
Blunier sends a ball back into the offense, you can see the defense up over the mid-field line.
At 20:42 the midfield of Snyder, Guilbert, and the Phontharaksa brothers went back in.
At the 27 minute mark Cook and Carroll went back into the game up front. Shortly after Cook took a shot that hit the cross bar. Too bad we don't keep stats for that...
At 30:55 the midfield of MacDonald, Stone, Hallock and Hennigan went back in.
Bergeron and Shwaegerle went back in at 32:10.
At 34:17 Shwaegerle banged one by the Monadnock Keeper to put St. Thomas up 3-0.
St. Thomas was up 3-0 at the half.
They had out shot Monadnock 12-1.
Coaches and Referees agreed to shorten half time to two minutes to get the game going before the rain that was expected at any time.
The Saints took the field in the second half with McBride, Miller, Gibney, Blunier and Roginski on defense. Snyder, Guilbert, and the Phontharaksa brothers at midfield. Kenter and Price were up front as strikers.
St. Thomas controlled the play and kept the ball in the Monadnock half of the field for most of the game.
Snyder was fouled from behind at 24:12, but the referee call him for the foul and gave Monadnock a free kick.
The Saints played the ball well in the midfield and got a number of shots off on the Monadnock keeper, but were unable to score.
Game Captain Miller lead a defense that allowed only two shots on McBride the entire 80 minutes. McBride chalks up his fourth shut out between the pipes.
The game ended with St. Thomas up 3-0. The Saints out shot Monadnock 18-2.
With this win the Saints clinch a spot in the JV end of season tournament.
St. Thomas travels to Kingswood next Wednesday.