If you looked at only the final score of the Wilton boys soccer team's 4-0 victory over Brien McMahon on Wednesday at Kristine Lilly Field, you wouldn't get the game's true story.
More specifically, you would not understand the Warriors' domination.
Yes, Wilton took a quick 1-0 lead in the 14th minute on Harry Allers' goal, but by that point the Warriors should have been celebrating their third or fourth goal of the contest.
Wilton was having no problem getting outstanding scoring opportunities; it just did everything possible not to put the ball in the net. Shots flew over the net or went wide, and there were a number of off-sides calls on the hosts. The Warriors also couldn’t capitalize on two direct kicks from just outside the McMahon box.
The squandered opportunities frustrated both the players and coaches.
“When you only lead by one and the other team sees that it could have been more, it gives them hope that they are only one good run or mistake away from tying the game,” said Wilton head coach Jim Lewicki. “No matter who you play in this league, if you let your opponent hang around when you have the chance to put them away and kill their spirit from a comeback and don’t, the tide could turn and the win could slip away.
"Being off-sides a couple of times ... that shows me that my players are being aggressive and that’s a good thing," added Lewicki. "But the number of times we committed that tonight is a mental mistake."
Allers' goal to open the scoring was assisted by senior co-captain Jack Brandt. Brandt played a perfect through ball just as Allers was splitting two defenders to go one-on-one with the McMahon keeper, who was easily beaten.
The score remained 1-0 at the half, as the Warrior defense — despite being without injured central defender and back line anchor Matt Ravichandran — held McMahon to just one shot on goal in the opening 40 minutes.
“Yeah, it was frustrating not to have put some of those scoring chances in the net," said Allers. "But we composed ourselves at halftime and came out with some good runs in the second half to finish the job.”
Wilton turned things around in the second half with three goals, with the final one coming with 1.7 seconds left on the clock. Before that, however, Allers had two more good chances to score, with his first shot saved by the goalie and the second striking the crossbar.
Wilton finally upped its lead to 2-0 in the 63rd minute with a goal by Owen Evershed. Evershed picked up the rebound of another shot on goal and placed his strike past the out-of-place McMahon keeper.
Brandt’s goal with 3:56 remaining in the game, assisted by Allers, gave the Warriors a 3-0 lead. Brian Perlee then completed the scoring with just 1.7 ticks left on an assist from Allers.
Notes: With the win, the Warriors raised their record to 7-3-2 with four games left in the regular season. McMahon dropped to 4-8-1 with the loss.