STRATTON- The Twin Valley boys’ soccer team traveled to Stratton Mountain School last Saturday for their second meeting of the season. Although the Wildcats won the first battle, 4-3, they knew the second game would be just as hard. As expected, the game lived up to its billing.

Stratton Mountain soccer players had returned from Chile the night before the game. The students were training for the upcoming ski season. The jet lag had very little effect because Stratton Mountain came ready to play. The fact that it was Stratton’s homecoming day also made it all the more important for them to win. At the first whistle, the two teams went right at it.

The game was even over the first 30 minutes. Much of the play occurred at midfield. Both teams struggled for early possession, 50-50 balls, and neither team could take control of the game. But things changed when Stratton caught a break in the 34th minute.

Twin Valley committed a foul and Stratton was awarded a free kick outside the box. The Stratton player ripped a hard liner toward Twin Valley goalkeeper Tony Bernard. Bernard secured the ball initially, but it caromed off his body into onrushing traffic. Stratton Mountain’s Tanner Mattau got a piece of the ball in the traffic and knocked in the game’s first goal. Twin Valley could not equalize the score at halftime and Stratton had a 1-0 lead.

The Wildcats’ fortunes quickly turned around in the second half. On what turned out to be one of the top plays of the day, co-captain Scotty Hayford chased down a ball headed out of play. Hayford narrowly avoided the TSN camera tripod and the scoreboard and still managed to get a pass off to teammate and co-captain Jared Cipriano. Cipriano turned on the ball and slid a beautiful through-ball to Ian Murdock. Murdock caught up to the ball in stride, which drew Stratton Mountain goalkeeper Keith Schuman out of the goal. Murdock knocked the ball in the high right corner, tying the game at 1-1.

Nineteen minutes later Hayford put the game away for good. Wildcats midfielder Brian Woods won a 50-50 ball and he passed a through-ball past two Stratton defenders. Hayford got a foot on it and carried it up the field. Schuman came out of the goal again and Hayford beat the goalie with a low strike in the right-hand corner. The Wildcats took a 2-1 lead and held off Stratton in the remaining minutes. The Wildcats escaped with a hard-fought win.

Coach Hayford credited Bernard with making 11 saves in the game and the defense for holding Stratton to one goal. “The back line of Ryan Bernard, George Molner, Dylan Speigel, and Troy Birch played stellar today,” said Hayford. “Gus Wing continues to improve and great efforts were also put forth on the wings by Ryan Dix, Beau Doucette, and Lewis Snow.”

On Wednesday, the Wildcats beat Windsor, 7-1. Scotty Hayford scored his 69th career goal, and surpassing Ryan Holton’s record for most goals scored at Twin Valley (including Wilmington and Whitingham high school records). For more coverage of the game visit www.deerfieldvalleysports.blogspot.com.

The Wildcats are 9-2 on the season and they face Green Mountain at home on Friday. Kickoff is at 6 pm. Then the Wildcats travel to Black River on Tuesday in hopes of upsetting the defending division IV champions. Kickoff is at 3 pm.