Last Thursday night marked the end of Oliver Ames Boys Soccer’s incredible season. As we look back, there are a lot of moments, plays, and players that stand out. One particular player had a moment that will go down in the OA history books. I would like to look at the Tiger’s second round playoff match up against North Attleboro.
I was lucky enough to be in the stands for this game. I only had to call out of work five times but its fine.
15 minutes into the game “OA boys soccer draws first blood” against North with a goal by Kevin Louhis, assisted by Mathias Taylor. The score was 1-0, OA was winning, and the score remained the same until the final 5 minutes where North Attleboro scored the game-tying goal. Heading into overtime with temperatures below freezing, there was no place I’d rather be. Overtime was a back and forth battle that pulled at the fan’s heart strings. It was clear that OA was dominating, as they ball was rarely on their side of the field, but they were unable to score. This forced the game into penalty kicks.
Penalty kicks may be the most stressful thing ever. It is one on one; goalie vs kicker. In order to understand what it’s like, I had starting varsity goalie Drew Nickla gave me his side of the story on penalty kicks.
“People assume all the pressure is on the goalie to make the save, but it is actually the other way around. The shooter is expected to make the shot. I look at certain areas of the shooter’s body to try to predict where the ball will go. All in all, penalty kicks are a mental game and whatever team has the most luck will come up on top”.
Almost every goal went in except for one each for both teams. It seemed like this could go on forever, but that was the last thing John Barata wanted. Deciding to shake things up, he put in his backup goalie, Brendan Cross. In continuation of my conversation with Drew, I asked him to recount this moment from his perspective, and he did so beautifully.
“When the sixth shooter took his place as the next kicker, I saw my fellow teammate Brendan Cross hustle from the sideline towards the net to take my spot. The first thought that popped into my head was the mask. He is much better than me at penalties so I was not surprised, and I thought it was a great idea because the kicker, #8, looked scared as Brendan jumped up and down, flailing his arms. Brendan has that intimidation factor that no other goalie in the hock has. When the kick was taken Brendan jumped the wrong way, but the shot blasted off the post. Anthony DaCosta then buried the game-winning goal, but it was Brendan Cross who saved the game and our season. It was a night I will never forget.”
The moment was definitely crazy to experience on the field. But then I decided to ask the legend himself, Brendan Cross. This man of few words did his best to remain humble.
“When I got to the goal, all I was thinking about was how to distract the shooter as much as possible. He took the shot, and when I heard the crowd erupt, I knew he missed. The team gave their all to win the game and I was happy to do my part.”
Experiencing the moment in the stands was one thing, but after listening to both Nickla and Cross speak about their experience, it solidifies the craziness of the scene. Now I understand my opinion on the matter, but I decided to get a second opinion from OA Alumni Jacob Lerman, who was last years starting varsity goalie.
“Trust John Barata. There’s a method to his madness. He knows what he’s doing and he makes the right decisions. If he believes that Cross is the right man for the job, then Cross is the right man for the job.”
As an OA fan, I will never forget this moment, and number 8 on North Attleboro will never forget the mask. Brendan Cross has solidified his name in the Oliver Ames history books forever. There is no doubt in my mind that this story will be passed onto future generations.