‘Underdog mindset’ helps Algonquin boys soccer upset Saint John’s

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‘Underdog mindset’ helps Algonquin boys soccer upset Saint John’s
Saint John’s Seta Tah moves past a sliding Rowan Miller. (Photo/Evan Walsh)

SHREWSBURY – Before the match, Algonquin senior captain Zachary Ruthfield shared some words with his team.

The Titans – ranked at No. 31 in the latest MIAA Division 1 power rankings – were traveling to play Saint John’s, the No. 3 team in those same rankings. Coming in at 8-1, the Pioneers’ last loss was 29 days beforehand, and the team recently won decisively over Catholic Conference rival No. 6 St. John’s Prep (Danvers).

Taking on the Pioneers was a tall task for Algonquin, but Ruthfield’s Titans were unbothered by the stakes. In fact, the team embraced the opportunity to pull the upset and shake up the rankings. The Titans outmatched Saint John’s from the start on Oct. 5, winning the match 1-0 and continuing an excellent season of their own.

‘Underdog mindset’ helps Algonquin boys soccer upset Saint John’s
Saint John’s Daniel Lau tracks the ball over his shoulder. (Photo/Evan Walsh)

“Before the game, I was talking to the guys,” said Ruthfield. “I let them know this was the No. 3 team – we’re going to remember this for the rest of our lives, looking back on high school soccer. We came in with that underdog mindset. We wanted to win this game. Ultimately, we played harder the whole game, and we came out on top.”

After a competitive first half-hour of play, Ruthfield helped the Titans pull ahead. In the 28th minute, senior Caden Hansen grabbed the ball and separated himself from the Saint John’s defender with a sequence of brief moves, eventually tapping a smooth pass to Ruthfield as he ran toward the middle of the field. Ruthfield wasted no time, cracking a well-placed shot past the goalkeeper and into the net. The goal gave his team its enduring 1-0 lead.

“I thought we played a solid game throughout. Offensively and defensively, I thought we played really well. We didn’t make any mistakes, which was key,” said Algonquin Head Coach Fred Zupicich, who coached on the Saint John’s staff for several years prior to leading the Titans. “In the beginning of the year we struggled with some consistency, and now, we’re just playing very solid soccer. We’re very talented.”

‘Underdog mindset’ helps Algonquin boys soccer upset Saint John’s
Algonquin’s Vincent Vitorino prepares to strike the ball. (Photo/Evan Walsh)

Though Algonquin will take the win, it looked different than previous victories. Coming into the action, the Titans were averaging 2.8 goals per game, and the one-goal effort against Saint John’s represented Algonquin’s lowest offensive output in a victory this season. Aside from Ruthfield’s early goal, the Pioneers’ defense held firm.

“That was the least amount of goals we’ve scored all year – only one. We’ve averaged almost three, so to beat us, you usually need to score three. Saint John’s played really well – they’re a good team, we knew they were a good team – but we’re playing better,” Zupicich told the Community Advocate after the match.

‘Underdog mindset’ helps Algonquin boys soccer upset Saint John’s
With the goalkeeper out of position, Max Oelkers goes airborne to block the shot. (Photo/Evan Walsh)

The match wasn’t without stress, however. With almost 50 minutes to play after the Titans scored, the Pioneers had the time to look for an equalizer. Saint John’s didn’t have many opportunities in the second half, but finally managed to put the pressure on in the final minutes, forcing three corner kicks in the last 120 seconds.

‘Underdog mindset’ helps Algonquin boys soccer upset Saint John’s
Algonquin’s Zachary Ruthfield and Saint John’s Márcio Deoliveira jump into one another to get the ball. (Photo/Evan Walsh)

All three corners were effectively defended by Algonquin, including two special saves by sophomore goalkeeper Frazier Bosch. In the last 15 seconds, Bosch made another dramatic, match-saving play to secure the win for the Titans. With the victory, Algonquin has won five of its last six matches – all have been shutouts.

“[Bosch is] phenomenal. This is the thing: He makes the great saves and he doesn’t make the simple mistakes, which is what you really need. To have a great team, you need to have a goalie that’s going to make a great save every once in a while, and he did that. He made two at the end,” said Zupicich. “We focused. We cleared the ball and did what we had to do to get the win. Yeah, it was stressful, but it’s high-school soccer. It was a good solid win.”

“It was chaos,” said Bosch. “I think we had great defense … It was great play from us.”

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