There wasn’t a dry eye on the field as the final whistle blew Friday, Nov. 18, 2011, as the Ludlow Boys Varsity soccer team became the 2011 Division I State Champions.
It started off as anyone’s game. Both the Lions and Masconomet played skillfully, giving their all, in hopes of getting the big win. Surprisingly, both teams maintained clean play, though the game was physical. The first half remained scoreless with neither team dominating. However, Masconomet came out hard in the second half and scored first, raising doubt in many Ludlow fans’ minds that they’d be bringing home a state championship for the third time in four years.
Senior forward Shaun Mello had no doubts that this was their game. He assured his team that time was on their side. “It said 31 minutes and I told the boys we still have time. Sure enough we won.”
Junior Kyle Tomas, with the help of a very strong defense, was Masconomet’s goalie Grammer’s worst nightmare as he managed to score two goals following the 1-0 lead Masconomet attained. His first goal came from the 30-yard line and easily found the net. The game winner was assisted by sophomore Jeff Danek and came with only six minutes left in the game.
Senior goal keeper Nick Zucco made improbable saves throughout the entire game.
It truely was a dream come true for these boys to win yet another championship and make their mark on Ludlow soccer forever, especially the senior boys who worked hard for the past four years to achieve this goal.
Tomas stated, “The feeling of being a state champ is like no other. It’s a dream come true and it feels so good to know that everyone you know and everyone from the town of Ludlow is proud of you for what you have accomplished. It feels good to know that all the hard work we put in during the season paid off in the end.”
The Ludlow boys’ soccer team once again proved that they are the best high school soccer team not only in Western Massachusetts, but in the entire state. The team deserves great recognition for their hard work and their love for the game. Congratulations boys!