Fast Start Helps Monomoy Boys Soccer Cruise Past Littleton In First Round

HARWICH – In the moments before the start of Monday’s Division 4 state tournament first-round matchup, players on the ninth-seeded Monomoy boys soccer team could be heard talking to each other about how the team wanted to get off to a quick start against No. 24 Littleton.

Slow starts have plagued the Sharks at various times during their season, and the pregame message served as a reminder of one area the team wished to improve in the opening round of the postseason.

Monomoy mastered its game plan, as junior Seamus St. Pierre netted the opening goal just eight minutes into the contest to help the Sharks play with an early lead. That set the tone for a dominant offensive performance that saw the team pull away for a 5-1 victory over the visiting Tigers.

“The first goal is key in a match like this,” said Monomoy coach Keith Clark. “It changes the game, and it was key for us to get that first one. We too often don’t start fast, so that was one of our focus points and we did a nice job with that.”

St. Pierre, a Chatham resident, finished with two goals after also finding the back of the net in the second half. Senior Joseph McKeen, freshman Tate Laramee and eighth-grader Christian Shea also netted goals, with Shea burying a second chance late in the first half that helped the Sharks take a 2-0 lead into the intermission.

The victory sent Monomoy (13-3-3) to the Division 4 Round of 16 against No. 8 Frontier Regional (17-1-1) at 5 p.m. Wednesday in South Deerfield.

Although Monday’s win marked the beginning of what the Sharks hope will be an extended postseason run, the team was thrilled to take care of business and defend its home turf in front of its home crowd.

“It feels great,” said St. Pierre. “It’s great to have the fans here, it was a great atmosphere. It was a great W overall, we battled from the beginning. We scored first and did everything that we needed.”

Clark said it was important to see so many players involved in the win. Even beyond the goal scorers, the longtime coach was proud of the way his midfielders and the back line played throughout the contest.

“I think we played well defensively,” the coach said. “Noah [Metters] played really well as a defensive midfielder breaking up a lot of their stuff, and obviously Ryan [Laramee] and Tate on the ball were exceptional. Owen Ramler played really well in the back and Paul [Carlson] played well in goal.”

Carlson’s only blemish came with 22:58 remaining when junior Ranhit Sinha scored Littleton’s lone goal to cut the visitors’ deficit to 4-1.

Another bright spot was Shea, who looked comfortable despite being so much younger than the competition.

“He is calm and composed on the ball,” Clark said of the eight-grader. “His soccer IQ is very high. Tactically he’s very aware, he’s always calm on the ball. He finds people and doesn’t panic, and for a little guy, he gets in there and holds the ball against bigger guys. He’s been a real revelation this year.”

As the team shifts its attention to Frontier, St. Pierre said the focus remains on Monomoy and what the team can accomplish.

“We don’t have to worry about them,” he said. “We have to worry about how we play. We can’t control them, we just have to play how we always play and fight until the end.”

Although Clark admitted he was a little concerned about how the 187-mile journey to South Deerfield might affect his team, the coach said his players have great chemistry, which is essential come playoff time.

“They’re really a great group that like playing with each other,” Clark said. “There are some guys that haven’t played at all, and they’re still there and enthusiastic and training. The group does a lot of dinners together and a lot of non-soccer stuff, so the chemistry and the camaraderie is key to keep the team together in a run like this.”