OT Heartbreak: Belmont Boys' Soccer Falls 3-2 to Host Concord-Carlisle

For some unexplained reason, the most dangerous score in soccer is for a team to be up 2-0 in a tight match.

It's the "Bermuda triangle of leads," when the next goal is the all important "odd" score – the first, third and fifth total goal – that either secures a victory or allows the trailing team to take momentum into their hands to begin the comeback.

It's during this time when any incident – a penalty, a weird hop, an injury – can upset the entire pace of the game.

"If you told me that I would be up 2-0 over Concord-Carlisle at Concord five minutes into the second half, I'd tell you that I would be very nervous," said Belmont Head Coach Peter Guellnitz after talking to his downhearted team in the drizzle of a dank November afternoon.

"Everyone knows how dangerous 2-0 is. You almost want to be up just by one."

And it was the referees at Friday's first round Div. II North playoff match between underdog Belmont High School against three-time North champions Concord-Carlisle Regional High School missing the first blatant foul but seeing Marauder's goalkeeper Robbie Montanaro's instinctive retaliation against a Patriot forward that Guellnitz said changed the entire tenor of a game during which the Marauders shocked their host.

"Oh, that was definitely the turning point," said Guellnitz.

The 12th-ranked Marauders took the best of their limited scoring opportunities to go up 2-0 against the fifth-seeded Patriots (who had given up four goals for the entire season) as Andrew Strawbridge outsprinted a trailing quartet of Concord defenders and beat charging goaltender Cray Novick to the back of the net and Michael Chertkov slotted a quick sniper's shot just inside the left nearside post four minutes into the second half leaving Concord with their hands on their heads and Belmont rushing up-field to the cheers of a sizable supporters section ("Where are your fans?" chanted the Belmont crowd made up of fellow students, friends and parents.)

But then came the incident – officially a push – that shoved Belmont off their game and, soon afterwards, off the lead.

After making a save from a straight-on shot, a Concord forward ran at and initiated contact with the Marauder keeper. But the referees only saw Montanaro's self-defense reaction and the Patriot sprawled on the ground. A yellow card was issued to Montanaro who had to sit out two minutes.

With the team's capable backup Bobby Stafford – who played the team's games during Montanaro's late-season injury – in the net, Concord's number 11,     , threaded a pass to an open Greg Fauchet on the left inside the 18-meter box.

Coming out to meet the challenge, Stafford hesitated for a heartbeat, which unfortunately placed him in no-man's land – not close enough to attack the forward or back protecting the net. Fauchet deftly floated the ball over Stafford's outstretched gloves at 51 minutes and the comeback was on.

 "You have to give (the Concord forward) credit. He got under our skin and we reacted and it cost us," said Guellnitz.

Using a physical style of play they demonstrated throughout the game, Concord pushed the play from the midfield into Belmont's defensive end. As a result, the equalizer came shortly afterwards.

A Fauchet free kick from 25 meters was sent wide of the left post where Concord co-captain (and quite boorish) senior forward Zach Bloom finished a brilliantly-timed run to lunge feet first to steer the ball by a surprised Montanaro to knot the game at 2-2 at the 54 minute mark.

Each team had opportunities in the final 25 minutes – Concord forwards launched a pair of seven-meter sitters in front of open nets over the crossbar (one hitting the football goal posts and the other going through) while Belmont saw their own point blank shot go "high" while a quick shot barely went wide of the favorite left goal post. 

The rain started coming down in sudden death with Concord holding the midfield position as Belmont was seeking any opportunity to counter.

But a through pass right down the heart of the field caught a streaking Stowe Simonton between the central defenders.

One touch, a shot and a heartbreaking loss for a Marauder team five-and-a-half minutes into overtime that Guellnitz said was the best game the underclass-laden team played this season.

To get up 2-0 against Concord Carlisle you have to had to play an outstanding game," said Guellnitz. "They did everything we asked but we missed opportunities and they did."

"But this was a game that speaks a lot about the leadership of our six seniors. They deserved all the credit," said Guellnitz, showing a bit of emotion at the end of a great season.