High school boys soccer: High-scoring Canes share the wealth

Cavan Benjamin, of Hartford, left, meets resistance from Alex Wynn, of Woodstock, right, at Maxfield Sports Complex in Hartford, Vt., on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. Hartford won 9-2. (Valley News - James M. Patterson) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com.

Cavan Benjamin, of Hartford, left, meets resistance from Alex Wynn, of Woodstock, right, at Maxfield Sports Complex in Hartford, Vt., on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. Hartford won 9-2. (Valley News - James M. Patterson) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. valley news — James M. Patterson

A shot from Hartford's Owen McMahon, left, slips through the fingers of Woodstock goalie Parker Pierce, middle, and into the net as Oliver Boswell, right, looks on at Maxfield Sports Complex in Hartford, Vt., on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. Hartford won 9-2. (Valley News - James M. Patterson) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com.

A shot from Hartford's Owen McMahon, left, slips through the fingers of Woodstock goalie Parker Pierce, middle, and into the net as Oliver Boswell, right, looks on at Maxfield Sports Complex in Hartford, Vt., on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. Hartford won 9-2. (Valley News - James M. Patterson) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. valley news photographs — James M. Patterson

Owen Whalen, of Woodstock, right, slide tackles Hartford's Alden Weld, left, during their game at Maxfield Sports Complex in Hartford, Vt., on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. Hartford won 9-2. (Valley News - James M. Patterson) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com.

Owen Whalen, of Woodstock, right, slide tackles Hartford's Alden Weld, left, during their game at Maxfield Sports Complex in Hartford, Vt., on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. Hartford won 9-2. (Valley News - James M. Patterson) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. James M. Patterson

Hartford goalie Ben Lang, left, high fives Caden Marcotte, right, at the close of their 9-2 win over Woodstock at Maxfield Sports Complex in Hartford, Vt., on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (Valley News - James M. Patterson) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com.

Hartford goalie Ben Lang, left, high fives Caden Marcotte, right, at the close of their 9-2 win over Woodstock at Maxfield Sports Complex in Hartford, Vt., on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (Valley News - James M. Patterson) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. James M. Patterson

By ALEX CERVANTES

Valley News Staff Writer

Published: 09-26-2024 5:01 PM

WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — The instances where Tighe Hrabchak receives an assist from the opposing back line are few and far between.

But less than 30 seconds into Hartford’s 9-2 win against Woodstock, an errant pass fell at Hrabchak’s feet inside the penalty area.

The Hurricanes’ senior forward calmly took three touches before slotting the ball past Wasps senior goalkeeper Parker Pierce for the first of four goals in Wednesday’s to bring his season tally to 13.

The early tally marked the beginning of a five-minute sequence where Hrabchak notched three goals, which led Hartford’s scoring barrage at Maxfield Sports Complex.

It was the fastest hat trick he’s recorded in his amateur soccer career, Hrabchak said.

“We just have a very diverse group of kids scoring,” Hrabchak said of the Hurricanes’ collective attacking prowess, which has yielded 40 goals in seven games. “We have six kids that scored today. That really hasn’t been the case in past seasons, and that’s driven us. We have a lot of kids that can put it in the back of the net.”

As Hartford’s lead ballooned to four, then five, then six, then seven in the second half, Woodstock found itself in an all-too-familiar situation. The Wasps, with just one win in seven games so far this season, have conceded 45 goals in that span.

It’s a step back from the program’s “golden time” a couple of years ago, according to first-year coach Grayg Noireault.

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Following the graduation of eight seniors and the departure of former coach Rob Stainton after an 8-7-0 campaign in 2023, Woodstock hired Noireault, a client technology consultant at Dartmouth College and a former defender for the University of Montreal men’s soccer team.

For Noireault, his first season with the Wasps has been focused on promoting a positive culture and instilling confidence in his players.

“If you missed a pass, it was normal to be yelled at by your teammate,” said Noireault, a native of France. “You can see with the younger generation that if they miss something, they keep their head down, because no one told them, ‘No, it’s fine. Just next time, make sure that you’re going to do good control and go forward.’ ”

A concerted effort has been made toward fostering an environment where players “come to practice and feel that they are coming to a family and having fun while learning,” he added.

The early inklings of progress are becoming evident to Noireault, in spite of the lopsided results like the one Wednesday.

“It’s the first time we had fun watching them, because they applied what we’ve been working on,” Noireault said. “When you look at the scoreboard, you think it was a bad game. But actually, when you think of the two goals, plus the way we try to play and put Hartford into danger, we need to build off that.”

Despite securing the team’s fifth win this season by three or more goals, Hartford second-year coach Connor Brooks also believes his team has plenty to improve on.

The two goals the Hurricanes surrendered, both to Woodstock sophomore forward Elvis Lavallee, are the most his team have conceded all season. Hartford is still yet to record a clean sheet, a quandary Brooks is desperate to solve.

Brooks has been tinkering with his four-man backline combination as a result. He brought senior Hayden Pascarelli, formerly an attacker, centrally to pair up with senior captain Cavan O’Brien, with junior Morgan Jensen sliding over to left back and senior Sebastian Fraser on the right. The defensive “work in progress” can lead to a lax state, Brooks said, especially when Hartford possesses a multi-goal advantage.

“I don’t think we’ve quite gelled in the back,” Brooks said. “Our attack’s been quite good. Our midfield’s been controlling pretty much every game. But the backline is still a work in progress and something that we’ve been focusing on, especially the last two weeks, trying to shore up and be solid in the back.”

As the Hurricanes sort out their best four-man backline combination, Brooks will continue to lean on the arsenal of experienced attacking options at his disposal — the blessing of boasting a starting 11 that features eight seniors.

Wednesday’s victory moved Hartford to 7-0-0 on the season and increased its goal differential to plus-32 ahead of an 11 a.m. kickoff against Brattleboro (3-5-0) on Saturday at Maxfield.

At the season’s midpoint, expectations are high for Brooks’ squad following the undefeated start, with the Hurricanes angling for a deep playoff push later this fall.

“We have a good amount of confidence in ourselves,” Hrabchak said. “There’s definitely pressure. There always is when you have an undefeated season. But we just want to keep it going as far as we can.”

Alex Cervantes can be reached at acervantes@vnews.com or 603-727-7302.