Burlington Central wraps up BN-East
Hampshire pulled out all the stops, bringing out the band and the cheerleaders to celebrate Senior Night. But once the game started, the night belonged to Burlington Central.
The Rockets jumped ahead with 3 goals in the first half and stayed strong in the second half for a 4-1 victory that clinched the Big Northern East boys soccer championship.
Freshman John Paolo Suspene scored twice and had an assist for the Rockets, who moved to 9-1 in the conference. Alejandro Nava tallied a pair of assists. Riley Jensen was solid in the net for the Rockets.
Bryan Contreras scored with 4 minutes left for Hampshire (14-6-1, 8-2).
“For us the biggest thing was we played a better second half than we have been this season, said Central coach Mike Gecan. “The first half was definitely was the better of the two, but at least we had a decent second half. I just think they came out ready to play. I think this is one of the best teams I've ever coached since I've been at Central.
The Rockets (15-3-3 overall) wasted no time taking control. Suspene put them ahead less than 3 minutes into the game when he raced in alone on Hampshire keeper Marcus Quick and fired it in from point-blank range.
Chris Gousios made it 2-0 on a rebound and Suspene tallied his second goal on a breakaway before halftime.
“We were passing the ball pretty well, working hard and getting to the ball, said Suspene, whose second goal was his seventh of the year.
It was a disappointing start to the game for Hampshire.
“Bad breaks, bad bounces, they made the best of them, said Hampshire coach John Gosling. “We made, not even mistakes really, we just didn't clear well enough.
The Rockets kept up the pressure in the second half and, perhaps more importantly, keeping the Whip-Purs away from the net. Nava missed just high midway through the half, the best of several Rocket scoring chances early in the half.
Kyle Reopelle scored the Rockets' final goal on a free kick from just outside the box.