By DAN PAWLOWSKI
READING — A golden goal is better with a golden strike.
With Wakefield and Reading each mining for a game-winner in overtime of a Div. 2 preliminary round state tournament matchup on Monday night, it was Warrior junior Alex De Morais who struck gold, chiseling a perfect shot home on a volley to start up an epic celebration amongst Wakefield’s crowd of prospectors at Reading High and sending the 35th-ranked Warriors onto their next adventure: a first round matchup at No. 3 Longmeadow tonight at 6:30 p.m.
“It’s an incredible feeling,” said an equal parts elated and exhausted De Morais after the win. “I just remember seeing the ball bounce out — I missed a few times earlier in the game and I knew I had to shoot so I hit it full power, saw the corner and placed it in there and just started celebrating like crazy.”
The latest magical moment for Wakefield soccer in the postseason occurred on a corner kick in which sophomore Aodhan Hagan sent a ball in that was punched out by the Reading keeper. De Morais, who had bluffed towards Hagan and circled back towards the middle of the 18, saw the ball bounce twice in front of him, timed a volley and fired a laser into the bottom left corner of the net, officially ending a terrific state tournament game between two of the Middlesex League’s best.
“We’ve had plenty of adversity this season so going into a golden goal situation is honestly just another day,” said Wakefield head coach Matt Angelo. “We’re comfortable in these moments.”
The buildup to the goal was just as exciting — the anticipation and agony of close chances coming up short for each team only leading to more chaos, nerves and thrill.
Wakefield’s sophomore goalkeeper Kai Mercer had three diving saves to keep the game level throughout, matching multiple good stops from his Rocket counterpart. Wakefield’s strong, all-senior backline of Aidan Bligh, Aden Stevenson, Nik Dhingra and Danny Kidder stood tall for 90 minutes; midfielders such as De Morais, Hagan, seniors Matt Keefe and Isaac Melo and junior Guy Revah battled tooth-and-nail for possession and forwards like senior Mhamed Boukataya kept the pressure on as each team refused to quit.
The two teams combined to hit five posts or crossbars, some glances, some square as the game insisted that it be level for as long as possible.
“It was electric,” said Keefe. “We had a shaky start to the season but tonight, in front of these fans, it was amazing. This is a once in a lifetime experience; so many teams don’t get a chance to play November soccer so it’s just a pleasure to be here.”
In the end, it was a perfect state tournament game because it was also a rivalry game. Reading, who beat Wakefield 2-1 in their only regular season matchup this year, trains with Wakefield in the summer. The friendships between the two could be seen after the chaos with many Warriors consoling Rocket seniors who lost in the most gut-wrenching type of way.
“I’m so happy for our guys, but it’s also bittersweet,” said Angelo. “Coach (Dan) McGrath and I were joking at the league meeting that it’s getting close with us pairing up. It’s tough to see their seniors end their careers in that fashion.”
“We know so many of those kids and respect them so much,” said De Morais. “They’re fantastic players.”
Of course, Wakefield knows, it’s the nature of the beast during a time of year they just simply call, November soccer. The Warriors, who have made it to the last two Final Fours in Div. 2, always seem to be at their best in month No. 11 of the year. That’s true again this season, especially as the Warriors shook off a slow start to finish strong. Their success in recent tournaments apparently wasn’t convincing enough to the MIAA who saddled them with a No. 35 in D2’s 39-team bracket.
“We had a tough first half of our season and we knew our power ranking was not a reflection of who we are,” said Angelo. “I still think we’re one of the most dangerous teams in the division. The last few weeks we’ve been ramping up our play; we’ve looked as dangerous as we ever have and this was an example of that, coming up big in a tight moment.”
Wakefield’s 11 seniors would certainly agree. They could feel it with a huge, 3-1 win on Senior Night over the Freedom Division’s top team, Watertown, on Oct. 22. That was a part of their 4-0-1 finish to the regular season.
Said Dhingra after that win, “adding this statement victory to our tournament resume is a big deal and I know for a fact that nobody wants to draw Wakefield.”
“I’ve asked them ‘what is anyone going to throw at us that we haven’t seen already?’ Said Angelo. “These seniors have played in two Final Fours and a championship game. They know what pressure in November is like and we’ve played good teams all year so we think we can beat anybody.”
Wakefield will certainly be the underdogs tonight after what expects to be about a 2.5-hour ride out to Longmeadow. Even still, they know they won’t be alone.
“We have the strongest culture around,” said Angelo. “Tonight felt like a home game and to have some alumni here, it’s a testament to who we are as a program. We tell them all the time, we’re not going out there with 11, they’re in the stands as well and that matters this time of year.”
“There’s always going to be pressure but your teammates, your coaches, your fans, your parents are all going to support you and push you on to be the best you can be,” said De Morais. “Win or lose, just give it your all.”
“We’ve been in this spot before,” added Keefe. “At the end of the day, come November, records don’t matter it’s just who is better in those 80 minutes and so we’ll go give it our all… because you have to in November.”
