Brooks 2011 Season Wrap-up Video!

This video was compiled using pictures taken by various parents at each game.  Over the 3 years Zach has been at Brooks, it has been played at the final team dinner at the captain's house.  It is something that everyone views with mixed emotion.  It's a great look back, but also a marker for the end of another season.  Enjoy the video!

Brooks Varsity Soccer Roster - 2011

2011 BROOKS SOCCER

FIRST TEAM

1	Cam Johst	VI	Goalkeeper	Andover, MA
2	Patrick Gordon	V	Midfielder	Concord, MA
3	Sam Milbury	V	Defender	Peabody, MA
4	Nick Potter	VI	Midfielder	Stoneham, MA
5	Brian Levenson	IV	Defender	New Castle, NH
6	Dylan Quigley	V	Defender	Hopewell, NJ
7	George Demoulas	VI	Midfielder	Cambridge, MA
8	Andrew Bolte	III	Defender	Belmont, MA
9	Hayden Lynch	VI	Striker	Hopkinton, NH
10	Elijah Soko	VI	Striker	Harare, Zimbabwe
11	Seve Elkin	IV	Midfielder	Andover, MA
12	Jory Makin	V	Defender	Wenham, MA
14	Andrew Bruno	V	Striker	Andover, MA
15	Zach Vieira	V	Striker	Andover, MA
16	Mike Sciascia	V	Midfield	Andover, MA
18	Greg Conrad	V	Midfield	Peabody, MA

Captain

Nick Potter

	Head Coach
Co-Head Coach	Dusty Richard	Goalkeeping Coach
Willie Waters '02		Julius
Manager		Athletic Director
Zander Buttress	Trainer	Lori Charpentier
	John King

      

Dad's Championship Game Review

Where do I start?  Brooks faced a very talented South Kent team today in the Class B final.  Unfortunately, things did not turn out as we had hoped.  They did turn out as we expected though.  South Kent has won this title 4 years in a row now and 7 out of the last 8 years.  Everyone asks why they aren't moved up to Class A. There is no real answer to this question.  The game itself was tighter then the score indicated.  South Kent got an early break on a rare mistake by Sam.  Sam tried to clear it but mis-hit the ball which ended up just sitting there near the end line.  The SK player found it on his foot and only Cam in front of him.  With the ball on his right foot, closest to the line, and Cam covering the angle very well, there was only one place to put the ball.  High top corner on the short side.  He shot off the outside of his right foot and the ball curved right up into the corner.  A perfect shot.  An amazing shot.  

Brooks continued to apply pressure up the other end, and was dangerous, but nothing to show for it.  Seve, Gregg, Patrick, Elijah & Zach all had opportunities.  A bit later, South Kent had a corner kick at the Brooks end.  Instead of lofting the kick into the box, the set play had the ball go to the top of the 18 and a defender came flying in and blasted a header to the top left side.  Another amazing goal.  Brooks continued to pressure, but nothing paid off.  Outside of the 2 goals, South Kent did not have much possession in the Brooks end.  Most of the play was in the attacking end for Brooks.  The fact that Elijah and Zach were still less than 100% was still a factor, but even at 100%, I'm not sure how much different things would have been.  This was the most solid high school team I had ever seen.  Not one weakness.

On to the second half.  And play continued as it had.  About 10 minutes in there was a very bizarre moment on the field.  Jory tried to clear the ball, but it went right back at Cam.  It looked like a shot on goal.  I was sure that the South Kent player deflected it but the referee thought otherwise.  He called a back pass to the keeper which the keeper picked up and played.  He awarded a penalty kick to South Kent.  South Kent executed another set play with a quick touch by one player then a second player blasted a perfect shot to the far top corner.  An amazing shot again.  But everyone on the sideline was unsure of why the shot was awarded.

The rest of the game had Brooks doing their best to claw back in.  Brooks had their chances with Elijah going just wide on one shot.  A Jory corner again going just wide.  The two best chances of the half came on headers from Zach.  After a bit of a scrum in the box, the ball bouncing around a bit, Zach goes up and gets his head on the ball.  Due to my angle, I see it heading directly to the top left corner.  I'm about to jump and begin screaming wildly when a South Kent defender comes out of nowhere and heads the ball wide of the net.   We all looked at each other and shrugged our shoulders.  What else was there to do?  About 5 or so minutes later a similar situation in the South Kent box.  Again I see Zach go up, get his head on the ball.  At the same time I see an elbow smash him in the back of the neck and another defender knee him in the thigh.  He falls down in a heap as the ball moves toward the open left side.  Trying to watch him and watch the ball go to the net was like watching slow motion video.  Unfortunately, yet again, a South Kent defender came from nowhere and was horizontal across the net heading the ball away just before it crossed the line.  Brooks ended up with a corner kick.  Everyone tried to help Zach up and see if he was ok.  Even the South Kent players were trying to help him.  He pushed everyone away shook his head and lined up for the corner.  He did not get into the pile this time, so I know he was feeling something after those hits.  

A short while later the game ended.  South Kent celebrated another championship.  The Brooks team hugged each other and mulled around a bit on the field watching the celebration.  Zach went over to the bench by himself.  I wasn't sure if he was hurt or if he just needed some time alone.  As I watched him, elbows on his knees, his hands behind his head, face down towards the ground I realized he was crying.  This kid puts his whole heart, soul and body into this Brooks team and this loss was surely devastating for him.  After a few minutes, some of the guys realized what he was doing and ran to him, hugging him and picking him up in the air.  Lots of hugs.  

I inched my way across the field, wanting to give him space but also wanting to give my boy a great big hug myself.  Wanting to let him know what a great job he and the guys had done this year.  How proud I was of the emotion and effort he put into every game.  How proud I was to watch him play.  How proud I was, and embarrassed at times, to accept the praise from the parents of his teammates and sometime opposing parents.  But mostly, I wanted to let him know how proud I was of him.  How proud I was to be his dad!  

It's sad to think that this concludes Zach's third high school soccer season.  I look forward to the next season with mixed emotion.  On one side, I expect it to be the best year of all for Zach and I'm very excited about that.  On the other side, it will be his Senior year and it may be the last year I get to watch him with such regularity.  I'm sure there will be 4 more years of soccer for Zach after next year.  I'm just not sure where those years will be and how often I will be able to attend.  This year end had another bit of sadness mixed in as well.  Elijah and Zach played their last game together.  They sure were something to watch together.  Maybe, just maybe they will play together again in the future!

Official ISL Game Summary

11/20/2011 - Brooks 0 at South Kent School 3

Game Notes:

Brooks' inspired tournament run ended in the Championship Final to a very talented South Kent side. Brooks played very well, but couldn't finish their chances nor hold off the relentless pressure of creative possession that SKS brought to the match.

South Kent Roster - Truly an International Group

Varsity Soccer Roster

#	Name	Position	Year	Ht.	Wt.	Home Town
3	Abdul Aziz Al-Othman	F	'12	5'9"	173	Kuwait City, Kuwait
6	Ignacio Baeza	M	'12	5'8"	152	Santiago, Chile
14	Sean Basak-Smith	M/F	'12	5'5"	125	Easton, CT
10	Lucas Cavenco	F	'12	5'8"	149	Sao Paulo, Brazil
18	Luc Chatelain	F	'12	5'11"	150	Hamilton, Ontario
16	Nick Ciarleglio	D	'12	6'	170	Madison, CT
24	Jangu Chothia	M	'12	5'6"	143	Accra, Ghana
19	Justin Corday	M	'13	5'11"	140	Sands, Bermuda
21	Cody Guerry	D/M	'12	5'9"	165	Garland, Texas
17	Tristan Fappiano	M	'13	5'8"	135	New Preston, CT
5	Jalen Harvey	D	'12	5'10"	175	Smiths, Bermuda
23	TJ Hughes	D	'13	5'11"	150	Ridgefield, CT
20	Sam Lartey	D/M	'14	5'7"	137	Accra, Ghana
15	Cody Luongo	F	'12	5'9"	170	Bridgewater, CT
4	Ben Lussier	D	'12	6'2"	176	Madison, CT
12	Cameron McFarlane	GK	'13	5'10"	170	Norwich, CT
22	Michael Maurial	D/M	'13	5'8"	151	Washington, CT
13	Tre Ming	M	'12	5'10"	150	Devonshire, Bermuda
25	Anil Ozer	D/M	'13	5'6"	140	Istanbul, Turkey
11	Luis Felipe Nunes	F	'12	5'9"	158	Sao Paulo, Brazil
7	Exau Paz	F	'12	6'1"	180	Cliffside Park, NJ
2	Mike Pope	M	'13	6'	160	Springfield, MA
1	Giovani Riello	GK	'13	6'1"	163	Sao Paulo, Brazil
8	Shakhai Trott	D	'13	5'5"	135	Pembroke, Bermuda
Head Coach Owen Finberg - 8th Season Guilford College '99
Assistant Coaches Hank McWhinnie Walter Moore Athletic Trainers Kelly Capobianco Kevin Vining

40 Bulls Bridge Road, South Kent, CT 06785
Tel. (860) 927-3539 | Fax (888) 803-0040
©South Kent School 2011    

Interesting Fact from Today's NEPSAC Tournament...

Class A final schools - Philips Andover, Hotchkiss
Class B final schools - Brooks, South Kent

Brooks faced Philips Andover once this year and won the game 1-0
South Kent faced Hotchkiss twice this year, beating them both times 1-0

Schools are assigned a class based on student body population.  Larger schools are placed in higher classes.  There are 4 classes total; A, B, C, D.

As a side, Hotchkiss beat Philips Andover 2-0 today to win Class A.

V. Soccer: Class B New England Champions!

2011 Varsity Soccer New England Class B Champions!

The South Kent varsity soccer team wins the New England Class B final in a 3-0 win over #3 Brooks School on Sunday, November 20, played at Northfield Mt. Hermon in Northfield Ma. This is the 4th consecutive New England Championship for South Kent soccer.

The South Kent varsity soccer team secured the top seed in the Class B New England soccer playoff and after a 5-0 win over #4 Pomfret in the semifinal match played Saturday, November 19, South Kent advanced to the New England final.

South Kent advanced to the semifinal after a hard-fought and well-played 3-2 OT victory over #8 Middlesex in the quarterfinal match played Wednesday, November 16.

The 2011 South Kent varsity soccer team has just completed the best regular season in the school's history. The Cardinals have gone through the entire regular season schedule without a loss, compiling a 16-0-1 record including 15 consecutive victories. This season's seventeen consecutive matches without a loss, combined with eight consecutive victories to finish out the 2010 season have set a new record of 25 matches unbeaten.

South Kent has dominated their opponents scoring 53 goals and only conceding ten. This season they have compiled a school record ten shutouts. The scoring responsibilities have been spread around with Exau Paz, Lucas Cavenco and Sean Basak-Smith carrying the bulk of the load. Co-captain Tre Ming and Ignacio Baeza have provided the creative force and hard-work in midfield. Co-captain Ben Lussier has anchored a strong defensive unit in front of solid goalkeepers Giovani Riello and Cameron McFarlane.

For the seventh consecutive year South Kent has won the regular season title as the top school in their class in Western New England. South Kent finished the season ranked number one out of all 51 teams, regardless of class, in Western New England. This is the second time a smaller school has ever earned that honor, South Kent was the first to do it in 2009.

Please continue to check the South Kent School website for the latest information.

40 Bulls Bridge Road, South Kent, CT 06785
Tel. (860) 927-3539 | Fax (888) 803-0040
©South Kent School 2011

South Kent Wins Again! - Boston Globe Article

South Kent 3, Brooks 0

Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011, at Northfield Mount Hermon

South Kent won its fourth consecutive NEPSAC title, getting two goals from Jalen Harvey. Tristan Fappiano scored the third goal and Tre Ming assisted on all three for South Kent (19-0-1).

Updated: Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011, 6:21 p.m.


Link to Story - South Kent 3, Brooks 0

Boston Globe Article - 11/20/11

Brooks 2, Williston Northampton 1

Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011, at North Andover

Greg Conrad scored in the 60th minute to snap a 1-1 tie. Dartmouth-bound Elijah Soko scored Brooks's first goal, 45 seconds into the game. Brooks will face three-time defending champ South Kent.

Updated: Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011, 8:04 a.m.

Link to story - Brooks2, Williston Northampton 1

Brooks Advances to Finals!

11/19/2011 - Williston 1 at Brooks 2

Game Notes:

Brooks got off to a dream start in this highly charged match played in front of a large bi-partison crowd in North Andover. Brooks took the opening kick and held possession for the first forty five seconds, ending their run with some fine combination play on the left flank and a deft pass from Seve Elkin to Elijah Soko. Soko made no mistake, beating Williston keeper Bailey Gawron to the far post. The stunned visitors found themselves down 1-0 without having touched the ball. Brooks continued to apply massive pressure for the next twenty minutes, narrowly missing a second goal three times in that span. Williston's dangerous strikers began to assert themselves at that point, however, and proved most effective on the counter. In the 28th minute the estimable Jon Bzdel turned his mark and came from the left across the top of the Brooks box. He rifled a low drive back to the near post and beat Cam Johst for the equalizer. Play was fairly even for the rest of the first half with the two teams playing vastly different styles going forward. In the second half Brooks regained control of the midfield and began to spread the ball across the pitch, finding ways into Williston's well organized defense. Two clean headers from in close both missed to the right and another clanged off the bar. But the frustrated Brooksians remained patient until one of Jory Makin's piercing corners was met by Greg Conrad's slashing run across the box in the 62nd minute. Conrad volleyed back to the near post and the ball was in the goal before anyone could move to defend. It was a tumultuous goal celebration as the home side was relieved to be back on top. The final half hour was characterized by continued pressure from Brooks with some every clever and dangerous counterattacking through Bzdel by Williston. The Brooks defense was stout with Sam Milbury cleaning up anything that got through. Dylan Quigley was particularly impressive in his finest match yet, as he marked Mark Richards ably and effectively. Johst was solid under pressure and served to steady the young Brooksians in times of trouble. 

Brooks moves on to the NEPSAC Class B Final Sunday @ Northfield Mount Herman against three time defending champions South Kent School (18-0-0) at 11 am.

Dad's Game Review -
This game drew a wide range of emotion from all watching.  Elation, Anxiety, Frustration, Hope & Relief!  47 seconds into the game Elijah takes a nice feed from Seve and lofts a beautiful shot over the plump WN goalkeeper.  WN never touched the ball.  I usually don't comment on players physique but this keeper was short and round.  After that first goal, I assumed it was going to be an easy afternoon.  Was I ever wrong.  Once Brooks scored, WN took control.  They moved the ball extremely well and had Brooks pinned back in their own end for most of the half.  Brooks did have some offensive threat, but not the organized offense needed.  

During the warm up I always look for the big guys.  I picked 2 out and assumed they were going to be the center backs that would be banging with Zach.  I was right on one of them.  The other turned out to be one of their strikers.  WOW!  He was really big, fast and had great feet.  The other striker was equally talented although not as big.  They moved the ball really well and had lots of pressure on Cam.  About 25 or so minutes later, WN equalized.  The rest of the team took the body hard at every opportunity.  Brooks hadn't seen body play like that most of the season.  I think the physical nature took a bit of a toll on both Zach and Elijah due to their already hurting bodies.  Even Cam was hit pretty hard a couple of times.  On the last one, he ended up landing on the smaller striker and I think he landed a good elbow to the ribs.  A yellow card was given to the WN striker and he left the field.  The half ended tied.  

The second half started and that smaller striker did not return.  Brooks did though.  The offense returned.  The pressure returned.  The ball control returned.  Elijah missed 2 headed balls just wide of the net.  Zach toed the turf and hit a ball wide on the other side.  In the first 10 minutes of the half Brooks just missed on 3 goals.  WN had their runs in the offensive end and the defense shut them down.  On the 3rd corner kick by Jory in about 6 minutes, Gregg connected and drove the ball in to make the score 2-1.  The celebration on the field was great!  As was the celebration from the home crowd!  Brooks continued to pressure, with Elijah hitting the crossbar on another try.  Zach again, had an opportunity but was denied.  Zach threaded a great pass through to Elijah, but the keeper beat him to the ball and stole it off his foot just in time. WOW!  The effort was incredible.  Hayden replaced Elijah with about 15 minutes to go and played really well up top with Zach.  Great passes and holds in the corner to help kill the clock.  The final 2 minutes was intense as WN pressed to equalize.  The whistle blew, the team came together was mobbed by the students on the field.  Zach, Elijah and a couple of others smartly avoided the pile up and immediately shook hands and hugged some of the WN players.  On to the finals!!!

After the formal handshake, I saw Zach talking with the big striker.  Turns out they remembered each other from their U13-15 days.  He played for Western United while Zach was with Inter & Aztecs.  Mutual respect.  Very cool!!  

Well, we are off to Northfield Mount Herman tomorrow for the final against South Kent.  Unfortunately, Matt will need to miss his game.  I feel badly about it, but this could be a once in a lifetime game so neither Cheryl or I want to miss it.  Matt is understanding thankfully!  

At the end of it all it was confirmed that Elijah, Cam, Zach, Sam & Jory were all selected to the all star squad.  A great honor for all of them.  Evidently, if the boys were not in the final tomorrow, they would be playing in either the Senior or Junior All Star games.  Cool that they can't!

Brooks Advances to NEPSAC Finals!!

Brooks beat Williston Northampton today with a thrilling 2-1 win!!
Finals tomorrow vs South Kent!!

Lawrence Eagle Tribune Article - 11/20/11

The Brooks boys soccer team scored early and scored late to defeat Williston 2-1 in the Class B semifinals yesterday and will play South Kent School in tomorrow's 11 a.m. finals against South Kent School.

The Green and White scored 45 seconds into the game on an Elijah Soko goal assisted by Seve Elkin and then scored in the 62nd minute on a Greg Conrad goal.

"The first goal came after we controlled the kickoff and passed it around about 20 times — they never touched it," said Brooks coach Dusty Richard. "It was an amazing goal."


Dylan Quigley played a superb defensive game, marking star Williston back Mark Richards and Sam Milbury had an excellent game in the back row.

Brooks (13-2-3) will be facing a South Kent team that is undefeated (18-0) and a three-time defending champion.
 

Game Statistics:

Goals: Elijah Soko, Greg Conrad; W —  Jon Bzdel

Assists: Seve Elkin, Jory Makin

Saves: B —Cam Johst 6; W — Bailey Gawron 8 

Final Stats for 2011

2011 ISL Standings

School	W	L	T	Pts
Nobles	12	2	1	37
Brooks	10	2	3	33
Belmont Hill	8	1	6	30
Roxbury Latin	7	1	7	28
Middlesex	8	5	2	26
BB&N	7	4	4	25
Groton	6	4	5	23
Milton	6	6	3	21
Rivers	5	6	4	19
Thayer	4	4	7	19
St. Mark's	4	5	6	18
St. Paul's	5	7	3	18
Lawrence	3	10	2	11
Governor's	2	11	2	8
St. George's	2	11	2	8
St. Sebastian's	2	12	1	7

2011 ISL Scoring Leaders

Name	School	Goals	Assists	Points
Voto, J.	Belmont Hill	16	5	37
White, O.	Nobles	14	6	34
Prudhomme, G.	St. Mark's	12	3	27
Soko, E.	Brooks	8	7	23
Balder, H.	Thayer	8	5	21
Conrad, G.	Brooks	9	3	21
Vieira, Z.	Brooks	8	5	21
Makin, J.	Brooks	3	14	20
McCabe, C.	Rivers	9	2	20
Davock, T.	Rivers	8	3	19
Noble, J.	BB&N	8	3	19
Vogel, J.	Nobles	8	2	18
Barry, P.	Roxbury Latin	7	3	17
Booth, H.	Roxbury Latin	8	1	17
Wheeler-Omiunu, A.	Roxbury Latin	6	4	16