Late goal gives Bishop Brady boys soccer win over Sanborn

CONCORD - The Bishop Brady High School boys soccer team spent most of the afternoon on the defensive but it received an offensive spark at just the right time Thursday at New Hampshire Technical Institute.

Freshman forward Ando Fleurant scored through traffic inside the penalty box following a Bishop Brady free kick in the 79th minute to lift the Green Giants to a 2-1 triumph over Sanborn.

Sanborn (3-4-1) played the final 10 minutes a man down after one of its players received a red card.

“We changed up our formation to throw an extra guy or two up front, especially with the unfortunate red that had occurred earlier, and then we were able to get one,” Bishop Brady coach Mike Ling said. “But I really feel like it could have gone either way.”

Sanborn coach Al Magnusson had his players push forward and kept just one defender back in the final minutes to try to put pressure on the Green Giants’ back line.

“You just take that risk,” Magnusson said. “You’re either going to tie it or you’re going to lose 3-1.”

Bishop Brady (2-4) opened the game’s scoring in the 17th minute when Colin Plante got around a Sanborn defender in the box and struck the ball into the top right corner of the net. The senior midfielder’s goal marked the Green Giants’ first shot on the frame.

Sanborn responded to the early deficit by creating a dominant edge in possession, which it held throughout nearly the entire contest.

Alex Senko scored from the left side of the box on a low shot into the right corner in the 30th minute to put the Indians on the board and knot the score at 1-1.

Senko and teammate Sebastian Roland had a hand in almost all of the Indians’ threatening offensive chances. Roland also delivered several promising corner kicks into the box.

Sanborn tested Green Giants senior goalkeeper Bryce Johnson with 11 shots on goal and registered six corner kicks. Bishop Brady logged four shots on goal on Sanborn goalkeeper Luc LeBlanc alongside two corner kicks.

Bishop Brady relied on counter attacks to generate its offensive chances.

“They (Sanborn) definitely controlled the tempo and we struggled to settle in and there were times where we definitely struggled to control the pace of the game,” Ling said. “(Senko) gave us trouble all night. My hat goes off to him.”

Magnusson said Sanborn had its share of chances but could not buy a goal.

“We had plenty of opportunities but we’ve got to find the net,” Magnusson said. “That’s what you’ve got to learn to do. You take away what you can and learn your lesson.”

Ling said he loves coaching games like Thursday’s where he felt either team could have won.

“We came out on top this time but there have been plenty times when we haven’t,” Ling said. “But you still want to go away with can we give ourselves a chance? And that’s really what you want - you just want to be given a chance even if your backs are against the wall for a little while.”