Varsity soccer team starts off the season strong

Junior Jacob Morin shields the ball while goal-keeper Anthony Bargardi gets ready to contain in the team’s win over Columbia Central on Sept. 9. (Photo by Lisa Somerville)

Submitted by Scott Somerville

The Manchester High School boys varsity soccer team kicked off the regular season on August 23 and have played five games through the second full week of the school year.

The first game, against the visiting Royals from Blissfield, initiated the season with an impressive 6-1 victory for the Flying Dutchmen. Goals were scored by juniors Cody Smith and Luke Somerville, sophomores Luis Baron (x2) and Carson Horky and freshman Jesse Sangster. Assists were by junior Tyler Lutton, Smith, Horky and Sangster (x2).

On August 25, the Manchester team traveled to play the reigning Division Four Boys HS Soccer State Champions from Lenawee Christian School (LCS). In a tight match from the start, the Dutchmen got on the board first with a goal converted off a header by Somerville, assisted by senior captain Max Edwards. With eight minutes remaining in the first half, the LCS Cougars tied the game with a long shot from the right side of the pitch that curled into the far side of the net. The second half was evenly played by both sides with no further scoring in the game to end in a 1-1 draw.

The third game for Manchester, played on September 1, was hosted by the Grass Lake Warriors in what was anticipated to be a close match on paper. The Manchester team took the early lead less than two minutes into the match with a goal from freshman Jeffrey Sangster assisted by Somerville. The warriors answered less than one minute later, catching the Dutchmen by surprise, to knot the game at one apiece. With six minutes left in the first half, Manchester committed a “handling” foul within the penalty area that resulted in a Grass Lake penalty kick converted just past senior captain goal-keeper Anthony Bargardi. The first half ended with a one-goal lead for the Warriors.

The momentum for the Warriors continued in the second half as they netted their third goal with 34:30 on the countdown clock. With about 20 minutes left in the match, the Manchester coaching staff made some positional changes which created several offensive scoring opportunities and eventually the Dutchmen’s second goal netted by Somerville, assisted by Edwards, with 6:46 left in the match. As with the first goal by Manchester, the Warriors quickly answered with 3:00 minutes left in the game with the fourth and final goal, giving Manchester their first defeat of the season, 2-4.

“It was a tough loss, but we played much better offensively in the last 20 minutes of the match following some adjustments,” said head coach Dan Tar. “It’s still early in the season and we are learning about our line-up and athletes. Even though we lost this one, we have a better feel about our team and players, which will help going forward.”

The fourth game was played on September 6 at home against the visiting Cardinals from Michigan Center. On a night with anticipated severe weather coming from the west, the Cardinals got on the board seven minutes into the match from a corner kick that deflected off a Manchester player into the net. Much of the remaining time in the first half the Dutchmen won the possession battle, and had many scoring opportunities, but the strong play of the Cardinals’ goal keeper and defense kept the Dutchmen stifled until Somerville scored the tying goal with 2:25 left in the first, assisted by Jeffrey Sangster.

During the halftime break, lightning was sighted nearby and a 30-minute countdown was initiated to resume the game. Unfortunately for both teams, lightning continued and the game was ended during the intermission, giving Manchester their second 1-1 draw of the season.

The next game was played on Thursday September 9 at home against the visiting Brooklyn Columbia Central Eagles. This was the first time the Dutchmen have played the Eagles since the 2019 season, where the Eagles won both matches, each by one goal. Prior to the start, senior captains Grant Tar, Ashton Dalton, Edwards and Bargardi gave rousing pre-game speeches to energize the team for a victory.

At the opening whistle, the Eagles quickly lost possession in the midfield and the ball was collected by Tar who made an excellent pass to the right side of the pitch to Somerville. After weaving by the Eagles’ outside back, Somerville buried the ball into the back of the net 15 seconds into the match, possibly setting the Manchester record for the fastest goal in a game (under investigation).

From there it was all Manchester, with three more goals scored in the first half. Two by Jesse Sangster, with an assist by Edwards, and one goal by Jeffrey Sangster, with the second assist of the game by Tar. Entering halftime, Manchester enjoyed a 4-0 lead. In the second half, Manchester’s scoring continued with the fifth goal of the match by Jeffrey Sangster, assisted by Jesse Sangster, for the first Sangster brothers’ goal-assist combination of the season (it is this writer’s belief it won’t be the last Sangster-Sangster combination).

With 28 minutes left in the match, Edwards made a pass to Somerville, who then worked the ball up the middle and past two Eagle defenders to score the sixth goal of the match. Junior defensive stalwart Jacob Morin scored the seventh goal from a mid-field position assisted by sophomore Mason Meyer. With a comfortable lead, the Manchester coaching staff rotated the entire roster into the game for valuable playing experience for the new players. From there the game went scoreless and, at the final whistle, The Dutchmen prevailed 7-0; giving the senior captains their first victory over the Eagles since 2018 and the first shutout for goal keeper Bargardi and the defense of junior Charlie Johnson, Smith, and Morin with support from Baron and Edwards.

After five games, Manchester holds a 2W-1L-2D record. This week’s games are on Monday September 13 at Quincy with a 5:30 pm start and Thursday September 16 at Home vs. Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard with a 5:30 pm start.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.