The boys’ soccer team fell short against the Shrewsbury Colonials due to lack of offense, losing 2-1 on Tuesday, October 17 at Shrewsbury.

The Tomahawks’ backup goalie, sophomore Ben Westphal, got his second varsity start due to an earlier injury sustained by usual starting goalie sophomore Brendan McCarthy.  

“Brendan got hurt against Marlborough and I played the second half,” Westphal said. “My first varsity start was on Saturday [October 13] versus Nashoba, and I was terrified. We won 4-0, and I was not nervous at all to start versus Shrewsbury.”

After the first half, neither team had scored thanks to saves by Westphal. Both teams came out aggressively in the second half, knowing that any goals would be crucial.

“Scoring and taking more chances is something we need to work on,” senior striker Alex Lemieux said. “As of now, I think our team is averaging around one goal per game.”

It was clear by the amount of enthusiasm on the field that both teams tried to turn it up a notch after half time. Just six minutes in, Shrewsbury sophomore Colby Meyer scored the first goal of the game assisted by sophomore Cole Lippert.

With 34 minutes left in the game, the Tomahawks were down a goal and needed to play aggressively in order to tie it up. With 11 minutes left, Lemieux scored off a cross from junior striker Jack Thibedeau and the Tomahawks’ bench went wild.

“I was just trying my best to put away some more chances and make more opportunities for my team,” Lemieux said.

Trying to capitalize on the momentum, Algonquin maintained the same energy until the end.

“After Lemieux’s goal we tried to stay aggressive and get the win,” senior captain Cal Willwerth said. “We wanted to keep the formation we had set in place and try to get the victory 2-1.”

Their plan backfired, and with five minutes left, Shrewsbury senior Sean Church scored off a pass from junior Rafael Mercado Diaz.

The Tomahawks were unable to come back in the remaining few minutes, giving Shrewsbury their second win.

“We still need to make playoffs,” Lemieux said. “We are doing everything we can to make that happen.”