James Wood boys hold on vs. Pioneers

April 15, 2011

By Robert Niedzwiecki
The Winchester Star       

WINCHESTER- James Wood senior forward Matt Henriques deservedly gets a lot of attention from opposing defenses because of his speed and skills.

Give fellow forward Spencer Marfing a sliver of space to work with at your own risk, though.

Marfing's two first-half goals helped give James Wood just enough cushion to withstand a furious second-half rally from host Millbrook and deliver a 4-3 Northwestern District win Thursday night.

The game was a pulsating thriller in which the Pioneers had numerous opportunities to draw even. They even had a chance to force overtime after Henriques scored in second-half stoppage time to make it 4-2 James Wood (3-2-1, 2-0 Northwestern).

But, ultimately, Millbrook (3-3, 0-1) just didn't have enough to overcome the two goals that Marfing scored, which gave the Colonels a 3-1 halftime lead. "[Marfing is] why I say I encourage teams to man-mark Henriques," James Wood coach Chris Hild said. "That just opens up Spencer's ability. I just hope people don't start noticing Spencer."

Hild laughed as he made that remark, but it will be hard for anyone who saw the 40-yard run Marfing made through Millbrook's defense in the 38th minute to erase that from their consciousness.

After making his long run into the box, Marfing faked a move inside with his hips that completely took a charging Millbrook defender out of the play. Marfing continued toward the end line and, despite not having much of an angle, chipped it past Pioneers goalkeeper Caleb Schneider to make it 3-1.

"Pretty much I just saw the lane down the field," Marfing said. "We like to look to get it to the corners, then try and get a cross in. Once I was down in the corner I didn't really see anyone, so I just tried to take it myself and it worked out for the best."

Hild said he sees runs like that from Marfing all the time in practice and in indoor soccer. But it was particularly crucial Thursday, because Henriques was locked up for much of the game by the sterling defensive play of Millbrook freshman Austin Jones, who was playing his first game on varsity after being called up from JV.

James Wood also needed Marfing's first goal, a blast from the top of the penalty box in the fifth minute, which answered Mark Guntle's goal from 16 yards out in the second minute. Wood's Logan Yost (one goal, one assist) scored in the seventh minute to put the Colonels ahead 2-1.

"Usually we're pretty bad about getting scored on," Marfing said. "We put our heads down. But this season we just get back up."

It's that philosophy that helped James Wood withstand Millbrook's gallant effort in the second half, and no player embodied that philosophy more than Colonels goalkeeper Elliott Shiben.

James Wood held a 6-5 shot advantage at the half, but the Pioneers turned that around dramatically in the second half with a 12-2 shot advantage. The Pioneers might have had just as many throw-ins within close range of the James Wood penalty box as shots, too.

Shiben made five of his seven saves in the second half, which was not an easy thing to do considering he said his painkillers wore off with about 20 minutes remaining. Shiben strained the muscle around his right rotator cuff at practice Wednesday.

"It was really stressful," said Shiben, holding an ice pack on his right shoulder. "They had me on my toes all game. My defense saved me so many times. I've got to hand it to them, and I've got to hand it to Millbrook too. Their midfield was scaring me day and night."

In the second half, it got worrisome early. Stuart Hupp scored on a free kick from 35 yards out in the 44th minute when his shot one-hopped the post, then went off Shiben and in.

But after that, Shiben stood tall time and time again, particularly in the 58th minute when he denied two would-be goals within a 20-second stretch.

Shiben and the defense nearly broke in the final 45 seconds, when Julian Pantoja scored to make it 4-3.

That goal was followed by one last throw-in into the box, but the Colonels held on. It meant too much to them not to.

"I figured I had to suck it up and go," Shiben said. "This is Millbrook. These guys are our arch rivals, and I'd do anything to win this game."

Perhaps if star midfielder Chris Barrette (one assist) hadn't left with an injury with 18 minutes left, Millbrook would have found an equalizer. But the fact that the Pioneers almost did it without him spoke volumes, as did their effort throughout the entire second half.

"I'd like to be upset with the fact that we lost, and I'm not happy about it," Millbrook coach Keith Kilmer said. "But how do you scold, how do you get mad at a team that just put forth that kind of effort for you? You just can't."

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