State Semi Finals Belchertown 5, Nipmuc 1
The Nipmuc boys soccer team had a great ride through the Division 3 Central sectional. They finished their regular season .500 as the 14th seed but somehow managed to defy the odds making it to the state semi finals. The Warriors shut out every opponent in tournament play, beating the second, third, fourth, and sixth seeds. It seemed as if the Warriors were destined to win it all. But in the state semi finals last night the Warriors fell to the Western Mass Division 3 Champs, the Belchertown Orioles.
The Orioles dominated the first half the of the game, scoring 4 and keeping the Warriors off the board. In the second half Nipmuc was energized, the defense was holding the Orioles off, but the Orioles managed to score one more goal. This didn’t stop the Warriors drive to win, with twelve minutes left to play Brett Symko scored Nipmuc’s only goal. The final score was Orioles 5, Nipmuc 1.
The Orioles offense was relentless and although the final score was 5-1 Nipmuc Goalie Junior Sam Manning made amazing saves in the double digits.
The Orioles played rough and hard; an Oriole player was issued a yellow card 78 minutes into the game and was sent off the field. The Nipmuc fans went wild as they believed the yellow card was long over due.
In the end Nipmuc boys played hard, had the drive to win but were just outmatched by a faster team.
Congratulations Nipmuc Boys Soccer on the Central MA Division 3 Championship title … enjoy your jackets and be proud of the banner you earned as it will be displayed at Nimuc Regional High School for many years after you have graduated!
ITS BEEN A GREAT RIDE!
UPTON DAILY 