11/10/12 - Brooks 2 - St. Paul's 0 - Dad's Game Review

The final game of the final chapter.  Oh boy!  It's taken me quite a while to write this review as I have agonized over it.  What do I say?  How do I say it?  I did start this on Saturday night.  But it just never sounded right.  Good thing I don't have a deadline to publish huh?

Well, four years of Brooks School Boys Varsity Soccer has almost completed.  60 regular season games.  59 regular season starts for Zach.  Obviously there were additional pre-season games and 6 post season games over the first three years.  I remember each and every one of them quite vividly.  I've recorded official thoughts and my own thoughts into the cloud where they will live forever.  Zach will be able to read them to his grand kids some day.  It's nice in a way to think about that.  Sad in another.  I've also gone back to record the first years prior to finding blogging into the blog.  I've added pictures and videos too.  If you're curious just look at brookssoccer2009.blogspot.com (or 2010, 2011 or 2012).  They are all there now.

As for the St. Paul's game, it followed the pattern.  Brooks pressed quite hard and controlled play.  Unfortunately, they had difficulty finding the net.  Zach played possessed.  The rest of the team played very well as well.  But St. Paul's did not quit.  They fought. They fought hard.  It took 55 minutes for the ice to be broken.  A great pass from Sam sent Alex in.  1-0 Brooks!!  About 15 minutes later Zach sprung Bruno in and the security blanket goal was in hand.  At exactly the same moment of the celebration of the second goal, I spotted Dusty running out onto the field screaming something.  I commented, asking who was that guy?  It's been 4 full years and I've seen animation from Dusty, but NOTHING like that!!  It took me a minute, but I realized he had just received a call from the Rivers coach letting him know that Rivers had lost!!  He was letting the guys know they had 20 minutes to go to secure a co championship!  WOW!!!!  What timing!!  Tears from some of the guys and some of the parents too!  It was a fantastic feeling to say the least.

The final 20 minutes saw Brooks defending very hard.  Not caring at all about the offensive side of the ball.  Zach was pulled back to mid field (He is a good defender and ball handler as well).  He and all the guys played very smart.  Bringing the ball back out of pressure.  Playing to the open man.  Eating the clock.

At the final whistle, the team, the coaches, the fans and the parents all swarmed the field.  The guys all piled on top of Matty.  We were all worried he may not survive the pig pile to play another day!!  He did!  They all did.  Hugs all around.  This was the first Championship for Brooks since 2003 and Charlie Davies!!  The team gathered once more before breaking to find parents and friends.  The surrounded Zach and chanted his name!!  Zach! Zach, Zach,  Zach!!!  Evidently there was a little teasing in there because Zach had recorded his first assist of the season on the Bruno goal.  It was fun to watch and listen to!!

After things settled a bit Zach found and hugged his mom and his sister and brother.  He hugged his cousins Jason & Gloria who had come up to watch along with Little Cody.  He then turned to me and ran to me.  I caught him.  He was almost in tears saying "We did it Dad!!  We did it!!  We are Champions in my senior year!!"  He almost knocked me over when he ran to me.  He almost had me in tears!  It was the most fantastic feeling for sure.  Slowly, the celebration settled and the talk of the tournament began.  Something to look forward to.  More games.  At least one more at home in North Andover!!  The official seeding watch began.  Obviously I posted the seedings before completing this.  I've even posted the official score from today's first round win.  We know there is at least 1 more game.  And we know who the opponent will be as well.  Rivers!  The Revenge!! (hopefully!!).

11/14/2012 - Kimball Union Academy 1 at Brooks 2 - Official Game Review

11/14/2012 - Kimball Union Academy 1 at Brooks 2

Game Notes:

Greg Conrad fashioned a superb finish in the 58th minute to break a deadlock. He went in alone on goal from a fine through pass from Zach Vieira. Brooks had much of the play afterwards and nearly had a second a number of times. In the 93rd minute, at the stroke of time, KUA found a finish out of a scrum in front of the Brooks goal. Ten minutes of overtime produce little and the match was decided on penalties. In the seventh round Sam Pruitt buried his for Brooks and Sam Milbury saved KUA's seventh to unleash pandemonium on the Brooks pitch. It was a great moment for the team and set up a rematch Saturday between the Gummere Cup co-winners.

2012 NEPSAC Class B Seeding

The full Class B pairings for the upcoming NEPSAC Boys Soccer Tournament.
Class is determined by school size.  Phillips is a Class A school.  Schools can declare up a class if they feel they are strong enough to compete.  If a school declares up it is a 3 year commitment.

If Brooks and Rivers both win tomorrow, there will be a rematch on Saturday.  Unfortunately, it will be in the semi final which would be played at Rivers.  Zach was hoping to see Rivers in the final on the larger field at Middlesex.



Direct link to the page  2012 NEPSAC Class B Seeding

2012 11 10 - Final ISL Standings

Final 2012 ISL Standings - Brooks finishes on top!! But has to share with Rivers!  :-(
New England Tournament play coming on Wednesday!

As Dusty said, the most points for a Brooks team since the 15-0-0 Charlie Davies year of 2003.  Second most points in Brooks history.  A nice accomplishment for the boys for sure!


Direct link to page 2012 11 10 Final ISL Standings

11/10/12 - Brooks 2 - St. Paul's 0 - School Website

Brooks grabbed its share of the Gummere Cup with a determined and hard won victory over rival St. Paul's this afternoon in Concord and finished an 8-0-0 run in the last four weeks. The home side presented an athletic and enthusiastic side for the full ninety and Brooks labored to find a good finishing ball. It was Alex Wagner who finally found it in the 55th minute after a clever through ball from Sam Milbury, who pushed on from the back. Zach Vieira did the same for Andrew Bruno who finished cleanly in the 69th minute. It was at just this time that the score from West Roxbury became known. Rivers had fallen to Roxbury Latin 2-0 and Brooks needed only twenty more minutes to secure a share of the ISL Championship.The boys were energized and played with all out passion. At the final whistle the Brooksians celebrated wildly their great good fortune over a long campaign and their coaches could not be more proud of them. The forty points amassed this season (13-1-1) was the second highest total in school history.