Teamwork has squad piling up the goals, and wins
North Middlesex is piling up goals and wins
It’s been a hallmark of the New England Patriots for years: strength in numbers.
No one player dominates or is the focal point.
It’s the philosophy not just in Foxboro, but this year in Townsend as well for a different group of Patriots.
The North Middlesex Regional boys soccer team has taken advantage of its depth in the early stages of the 2020 season, racing out to a 3-1 start and putting up some impressive offensive numbers in the process. Aside from one anomaly – a 1- 0 loss to Littleton last week that saw North Middlesex put 12 shots on goal and attempt a dozen more – goals have come often and not just off the boot of one player.
The Patriots have scored 18 goals to this point, with seven players denting the net and six of them having done so multiple times.
Head coach Jeff Waldron isn’t surprised with his team’s showing so far, claiming that his team has “no egos” and his players push each other to compete. Much of it comes from communication and the comfort his players have with one another on the field.
“They play as a team and the key word here is team. It’s pretty special,” Waldron said Thursday evening after a 6- 0 win over Lunenburg High. “They’re constantly communicating and discussing what has worked and what hasn’t. The playerto-player dialogue goes a long way to getting us to play the best we can as a team.
“I’ll hear them on the field saying, ‘What were you thinking there?’ or
‘Maybe we should try this.’ Something as simple as a thumbs up or saying ‘my bad’ on a play. They’re accountable and working with each other.”
That’s not to say there isn’t talent contributing to the team’s success. There’s certainly no lack of that on the roster. Jake Richard has potted six goals this season to lead the team, followed by Aidan Murray’s three goals and Casey McCarthy, Evan Gaibor and Evan McPherson with two each.
Max Patenaude has proven to be a fantastic playmaker for the Patriots, a team that plays the ball well to feet – an important ability in a season when heading the ball has been banned.
“We’ve got some guys who are really skilled and can play that way,” Waldron said earlier this season. “They can run. They can pass. They’ve got skill and share the ball.”
The willingness to share the ball and the ability to do so was apparent Thursday afternoon in Lunenburg. Having scored twice early on, Murray had the chance to potentially cap a hat trick after getting by a defender and closing in on the Blue Knights’
net from a sharp angle.
Rather than take a low-percentage shot, Murray kept his head up and found Richard streaking to the net for an easy goal.
“It takes discipline. You want to get on the stat sheet,” Waldron said. “(Murray’s) a senior captain who wants to score, but if you can think about more than yourself, you’re going to have even more of an impact. That’s what’s leading to our success.”
In a similar fashion, Richard
had found Patenaude in front, 15 yards from the goal. Rather than taking the shot, Patenaude made the extra pass and Murray was the beneficiary, tapping the ball into a gaping net.
It’s how the Patriots play: Share the ball. Trust your teammates.
This season, the selflessness has been there for the Patriots. And so has the success.