Raiders drop season finale

Senior captian Liam King attacks the defense during Enfield's game versus Suffield on Nov. 1. Photos by Colin Rajala.

The Enfield High School boys’ soccer team pushed North Central Connecticut powerhouse and rival Suffield to the brink during an Oct. 11 meeting, needing two late-second-half goals to put away the Raiders. Enfield hoped to bring the same intensity to their second match-up and get a few bounces and breaks to go their way to sneak an upset on the Wildcats’ Senior Night. Unfortunately the Raiders (4-11-1) were no match for Suffield (14-1) and fell 7-0, on Nov. 1, under the lights of Beneski Turf Field.

“Our season has been this way, we have not been able to score, we’ve had injuries and it’s just been a culmination of a bunch of things,” said head coach John Mancuso. “It’s been a tough season all around. I give these kids a lot of credit. They worked hard the entire season, they played their hearts out, and it’s unfortunate that it has to end this way.”

The Enfield defense - led by seniors Joshua Gaines and Andrew Norris and juniors Kory Wells and Andrew Halgas - has been a strength all season long, but they were no match for Suffield’s potent front lines, especially the duo of David Biederman and Sean Sullivan, who connected on Suffield’s first three goals of the game. Four minutes into the match, Biederman played a through ball to Sean Sullivan, who beat the keeper near post. Just two minutes later, Sullivan received a goal kick at half field from the goalkeeper, taking it down field into Enfield’s penalty box and passing it off to Biederman, who touched the ball past the goalkeeper and tapped it into the back of the net. The duo connected again when Biederman headed a corner to Sullivan who put it into the back of the net.

In the second half, Enfield’s attack started to gain some momentum, putting pressure on the Wildcat defense. The Raiders’ best opportunities came off of the foot of senior captain Liam King, but he was unable to locate the back of the net, missing two right. Enfield goalkeeper Michael Knapp recorded nine saves in the losing effort.