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Hamilton-Wenham's dream season ends in shootout loss to Greater Lowell

Friday, November, 09 By Mike Grenier
Staff writer

PEABODY | A goaltender's save percentage drops dramatically when a state tournament game extends to a penalty kick shootout, but Greater Lowell coach Dan Kane liked his team's odds against Hamilton-Wenham last night when their Division 3 North semifinal game was still tied through two overtimes.

The teams were physically and emotionally spent after 100 minutes of hard-nosed soccer, but now Kane thought his goalie, Yorlin Grajales, was meticulously prepared for the intense pressure of the shootout.

"The kid is a four-year starter," Kane said of Grajales, who is slight of build but extremely agile around the goal for the Gryphons. "We've been practicing for the (possibility of a) shootout for the last two or three weeks. I thought he might be good for 2-3 saves."

That's asking a lot from a goalie, but Grajales was indeed Mr. Clutch, blocking a shot by Hamilton-Wenham senior Devon Pierro to close out a game that ended 1-1, 5-4 in the shootout for the Gryphons, who advanced to the North final for the first time. Showing his versatility, Grajales scored one of his team's goals in the shootout.

"You never want it to come down to a shootout," said Hamilton-Wenham coach Matt Gauron, who saw the Generals (12-6-1) best season in over a decade come to an end in sudden death (or sudden victory, from Greater Lowell's perspective). "It's 50-50 when it goes to a shootout."

Hamilton-Wenham was bigger, stronger and faster than Greater Lowell and outshot the Gryphons, 13-6. But Greater Lowell played clever soccer and seemed content to sit back and rely on its defense in an attempt to get to the shootout.

"We didn't take advantage of a couple of opportunities early in the game when we had a chance to go ahead. Luck wasn't with us," said Gauron.

"I don't think we played our best game tonight. I don't know if we were a little nervous because we got this far, but we really didn't get organized until later in the game and in the overtimes. But you have to give credit to Greater Lowell. That's a good team."

After a scoreless first half in which neither team established clear superiority, the Gryphons took a 1-0 lead with 34:42 remaining on a goal by Giovanni Guevara. Hamilton-Wenham deadlocked it less than seven minutes later on a remarkable header by Jon Britton, whose body appeared to be twisting in an awkward way when he went high and still put a lot of velocity on a ball that shot past Grajales. Hamilton-Wenham carried the play for the rest of regulation and through a pair of 10 minute overtimes but couldn't get the game-winning goal.

A shootout always promises to be tense and it was all of that. Niles Batchelder was wide left on H-W's first attempt, but Dan Castro, Britton and Jesse McElvain all scored to keep it close for Hamilton-Wenham. Trailing 4-3, Generals goalie Jackson MacDonald made a brilliant save to keep the Gryphons from clinching it, and H-W's Ian McCracken made it 4-4, sending it to sudden death.

Jordan Phathanak put the Gryphons ahead, 5-4, and pumped his arms thinking the game was over. But Grajales still needed to make a stop before the celebration could begin in earnest.

"We were hoping to go even (deeper) in the tourney, but I'm really proud of the guys for the season they put together," said Gauron.