PITTSFIELD – To win big, you need players – rookies and veterans – to step up. Tied after full time and two overtime periods, Saturday’s MIAA Division 4 Boys Soccer Round of 16 game at Berkshire Community College went to best-of-five penalty kicks. Both Frontier and Pittsfield made 3-of-5 PKs to push the marathon contest to extra penalties.
First up was Frontier’s William Reading, who fired bottom left. Pittsfield goalie Connor Devine chose correctly, but the ball whipped to the low corner too fast. That set up Pittsfield’s Drake Thompson, who fired low to his left.
Frontier freshman goalie Jack Cusson flung himself, fully airborne and parallel to the ground. He took a heavy shot to the abdomen and kept the ball in front of him and out of the goal. Cusson’s big save sent the Frontier faithful streaming toward him as the 14th-seed Redhawks knocked off No.
3 Pittsfield, advancing to the Div. 4 quarterfinals via a 4-3 victory (the game was tied 3-3 after regulation). Frontier (14-2-4) will play at No.
6 Tyngsborough in the quarterfinal round at a date and time to be determined. “This is not an upset for us. That was the mentality we talked about all week,” said Frontier coach Evan Horton.
“[Cusson is] a freshman. The plan was always for Jack to step in next year. But [last year’s goalie] Owen Babb is playing for Deerfield Academy.
We have 10 new starters this year and one of them is Jack saying, ‘we need you to step up and play the role now.’ “He’s .
