With tensions high, boys’ soccer drew a rocky 3-2 victory over Milton, Tuesday, Oct. 7 at home under the lights.
Including this game, North has won its past eight matchups against Milton. Milton has not won a game against North since 2015. In their last face-off, the Tigers shut Milton out 4-0.
“It was a game we were expected to win,” said senior Giga Bat-Erdene, a captain with senior Peter Reale.
North scored early from a well-placed shot from the right by junior Lorenzo Grimaldi with 38 minutes remaining in the half.
Although Milton exhibited solid defense throughout the rest of the half, the team lacked shots on goal. The few attempts from the Milton offense that neared the net were masterfully blocked by sophomore Ciaran Franks, North’s goalie.
As last year’s star goalie graduated in the spring, North had big shoes to fill coming into the 2025 season. According to head coach Roy Dow, this year’s goalies, including Franks, have developed nicely over the course of the season so far and have helped the team in critical spots.
“Ciaran, in goal, had a really good performance,” Dow said, “He saved our bacon a couple of times.”
Milton soon drew its first yellow card by way of a deliberate tripping foul causing outrage among players. This foul was the first of many for both teams throughout the game.
Despite strong offense from both sides, neither team was able to score throughout the rest of the half. At halftime, the Tigers led 1-0.
The stalemate ended in the first few minutes of the second half, when Grimaldi spotted an opening and scored his second goal of the game. Minutes later, Grimaldi found Bat-Erdene for a soft shot that reflected off of a defender into the goal.
According to Bat-Erdene, after the Tigers scored their third goal, they became “complacent.” He added “we let them get close. We made it really hard on ourselves.”
With 21 minutes left, a Milton player maneuvered his way past the Tiger defense and goalie before lightly tapping the ball into the net, putting the away team on the scoreboard for the first time.
North struggled offensively in the late minutes of the second half. Although the team had plentiful offensive opportunities, it failed to convert opportunities into plays.
“We were trying to overplay at times instead of taking a shot or playing a ball to someone who’s in a better place,” said Dow.
Soon after, Milton was awarded a penalty kick, which Franks blocked seamlessly. On a subsequent penalty kick, however, Milton scored its second goal, making it a single-point game.
In the final play of the game, a Milton player elbowed an athlete from the Tigers, according to Reale. When the whistle blew, players from both teams became agitated, resulting in a benches-clearing scuffle.
According to Reale, the altercation was “unnecessary.”
“We won the game,” he added. “We don’t have to run over and push people. We just need to keep our heads a bit more.”
North, 4-5-1, will face Walpole away, Thursday, Oct. 9.
