It has been a tough ride this year for Northampton Soccer. The loss of key players and being in the state’s toughest district (having to play Nandua twice, and Arcadia three times), has provided plenty of hard knocks.
This week, the Yellow Jackets have turned things around, disemboweling opponents from Middlesex and Windsor in the state regional tournament.
Wednesday, the Jackets traveled to Middlesex as the 8th seed (out of eight teams). For the first time this season, there was a glimpse of a mid-field, solid defense, crisp passing and accurate striking. By the end, Northampton walked away with a 7-1 win.
Friday, the Jackets traveled to Windsor to face the number one seed. Missing key players with injuries, Northampton still applied constant pressure and locked down the high-scoring Windsor attack to come away with an 8-4 win. Windsor scored 3 goals on penalty kicks.
Northampton advances and will play the next round on Tuesday (TBA).
The school of hard knocks can teach a few good lessons, though. You don’t get better playing a soft schedule. Hope everyone is healthy for their deep run into the playoffs. GO JACKETS!