The Cottage School Cougars recorded their second victory in as many days on Wednesday vs Cumberland Academy. TCS jumped out to a fast start and never looked back, defeating their AAC rivals 7-2.
Maria Knezek scored her first goal of the season in the first minute. After a lovely pass from Ruslan van Kesteren, Maria chipped the ball over the keeper’s head into the far corner of the net, and the Cougars were off and running. The Cougars’ passing attack was impressive, with Shane Hendrickson, Nick Rice, DJ Donaldson, and Elijah Joiner all playing key passes that led to chances. Just a few minutes after the first goal, Dalton Lantz doubled the Cougar lead off of a rebound. Ruslan van Kesteren then got in on the scoring action, slotting home his first 2 career TCS goals in quick succession. Dalton Lantz and Nick Rice provided quality assists on Ruslan’s 2 goals.
Later in the half, the Cougars were able to tack on another 2 goals, bringing the halftime score to 6-0. Colton Parks scored the first of his two goals of the game following a marauding run down the left flank. Liam Walsh then recorded his first career high school goal on a well-placed shot from the side of the box.
With a commanding lead early on, all Cougars were able to play in the first half. Mitchell Starks, Emma Altermatt, Tim Mattioli, Toby Nwokedi, and Dustin Bartolome-Behrens formed an immovable barrier in front of Aidan Briggs’s goal. Matthew Placide, Javier Cremer, Schuyler Nebel, and Reese Silverman provided offensive support and defensive cover in their tireless work in the midfield. Mac DeBalsi, Alex Yager, Bryce Dickerson, and Paul Altermatt displayed their impressive versatility, as they played multiple positions without skipping a beat.
In the second half, goalie Aidan Briggs morphed into midfielder Aidan Briggs and was a blur sprinting up and down the field. Bryce Dickerson put on the goalie gloves and produced several impressive saves. Colton Parks tacked on the Cougars 7th goal of the game. Though Cumberland were able to score on 2 penalty kicks late in the game, the Cougars were proud to come away with a 7-2 win.
