A scoreless deadlock between the Witches and Broncos was finally broken with 2:30 left in regulation, when Brewer’s Charlie Brydges finally beat standout keeper Logan LaFrance to score the only goal of the game and seal a 1-0 win for Brewer.
Driving up the wing, senior forward Braden Carr crossed a pass into a sea of Brewer jerseys, where the junior Brydges pounced and delivered the ball into the right corner of the goal.
“We just needed to get it wide, and we finally figured that out,” Carr said. “I took it downfield, sent it toward the PK area, and Charlie was there to finish it off.”
It was Brydges’ second game-winner in back-to-back home games.
On Sept. 21, Brydges helped dispatch the Oxford Hills Vikings with less than six minutes remaining, making it 1-0 Brewer on a similar type of goal.
“Braden reminds me I just need to be by the penalty kick [spot], and I’ll score,” Brydges said. “Evidently it worked.”
Brewer had been knocking on the door all afternoon long, with Carr, Brydges and sophomore Nick Godfrey doing a great job of creating chances and maintaining possession in Hampden’s half. But Hampden’s defense, especially the junior LaFrance, was there to take advantage of every heavy pass, lofty corner kick and unnecessary touch by the Witches.
By the time the match was all said and done, LaFrance had reeled in at least 30 loose balls and forced at least ten shots wide.
“LaFrance was their best defender,” Carr said. “He plays super high up, so we’re trying to play the through balls and he was just kicking them away.”
LaFrance was recruited this past year by FC Koln, which competes in the top flight of German soccer, also known as the Bundesliga. LaFrance is flying to Cologne, Germany tomorrow to start his career in FC Koln’s academy program.
Considering today’s game was LaFrance’s final game with his hometown team, Logan gave a farewell speech to the Broncos after the match. Carr and a couple other Witches also went over to congratulate LaFrance on his performance.
“I’ve been playing soccer for a long time, at a lot of different levels. I got lucky enough to get seen, and just like that I’m leaving,” LaFrance said. “My philosophy about being goalkeeper is [to be] like a general and see everything. I try to be vocal out of the back and help my teammates.”
Brewer made several key adjustments during halftime to help beat Hampden’s defense and set up Brydges’ game-winner.
“Even with the speed that we have, if you play anything directly up the middle, he’s able to come out and scoop it up,” Brewer head coach Ben Poland said. “You gotta make the keeper make decisions, and attack from the outside in. It was just re-emphasizing that at halftime.”
Now standing at 3-5-2, Brewer will try to get back to .500 against Mt. Blue away on Oct. 10 and then Ellsworth at home on Oct. 12. The 2-6-1 Broncos meanwhile have two more away games this week, against Oxford Hills tomorrow and Mt. Ararat on Saturday.
