September stars in Gardner area boys high school soccer
September is in the books for the area high school boys soccer teams, and as they sprint into the scheduled October matches, let’s highlight some of the players who have made significant contributions:
Thursday night’s 8-0 win over Ayer-Shirley lifted the Wildcats to a 6-0-2 record as Gardner swept through its opening eight matches without a loss.
Leading the way for the Wildcats has been senior co-captain Ricky Ruiz, last year’s Mid-Wach D Most Valuable Player and CMass All-Star. Ruiz has netted eight goals and six assists. Senior Jackson Langlois has tallied nine goals and four assists, and junior goalkeeper Wyatt Tom has allowed only four goals so far.
Wildcats aiming to go deep in the post-season
Coach Dan Forte’s squad is hoping to repeat some of the magic of the 2022 season when the Wildcats went 17-3-1, captured the Class C Central Mass. Championship and advanced all the way to the Div. 5 state semifinals.
“We haven’t lost a regular season match since early October last year against Tahanto, so we’re still on the right track,” said Forte, whose team chalked up five straight wins until a 1-1 tie with Lunenburg.
“We were ahead in that game until the final minute when Lunenburg got its goal,” said Forte. In the next game, before the Ayer-Shirley win, the Wildcats notched another tie, a scoreless match with Fitchburg.
Oakmont tallies seven straight wins
The Spartans, leading Mid-Wach C, chalked up seven straight wins before their 3-2 loss to Bromfield on Thursday.
Gael Vera leads the team in scoring with 11 goals while Liam Mullane dished three assists in the 5-1 win over Quabbin. Keeper Ben Forbes notched three straight shutouts over Maynard, Littleton and Tahanto.
The ever-improving Monty Tech Bulldogs improved to 4-2-1 last week, doubling their total win count from the 2022 season.
Coach Brad Pelletier praised the outstanding play of senior captains Austin Girouard and Brayden Cox as well as the goal keeping of senior Cian Quinn.
“We’re definitely improving,” said Girouard, who leads the team in goals and assists. “I think we can make the playoffs, but we have to keep playing well.”
Pelletier, now in his 12th season as the Bulldogs head coach, said, “Both Austin and Brayden lead by example. “Austin has great skills and is very aggressive, and Brayden is one of our best passers."
Pelletier added about Quinn, “Cian has good vision and great hands when guarding the net. We have a lot of confidence in him.”
Competing in Mid-Wach D, the Narragansett Warriors have notched one victory over Clinton, keyed by goal scorers Eli Roche and Beau Linderson.
The Mid-Wach C Panthers of Quabbin (2-6) snapped a four-game losing streak with a 2-1 win on Thursday over Littleton, led by Michael Tobin’s two goals. In the 2-1 win over Maynard, Seth Twarog scored both goals while Jacob Dilling and Jenkins Miller earned assists.
This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Greater Gardner boys high school soccer players making an impact
