The Norton High School boys varsity soccer team had their season come to a sudden end in the Division 2 state playoffs last week.  The Lancer boys were beat by Duxbury, 2-1, in the south regional quarterfinals, leaving their final record at 10-8-3.  The boys had already beat Norwood, 2-0, in the preliminary round and knocked off No. 3 seeded Norwell in the first round before losing to Duxbury. 

And, if you ask the boys' coach Eric Greene, he will tell you that it was a strong regular season for the varsity squad and a commendable playoff run.  

Greene had high expectations of his team going into this season as he fielded his most experienced team in his six years of coaching the Lancers, with nearly 50-percent of his team comprised of seniors. Led by their three captains, senior Keegan Campbell, his brother Kolin, a junior, and senior Justin Iadarola, the team expected to do well within the Tri-Valley League (TVL) and push deep into the playoffs.  

"The Tri-Valley is a high-caliber league and we are small school, but we knew we had an experienced team," Greene said.     

The team struggled coming out of the gate this season. They played to a 1-2-2 record, tying teams that they had beaten in the past.

"It was a discouraging start; we had to climb out of a hole," Greene said. 

The struggles continued as the boys found themselves looking at a 2-3-3 record, needing a second half surge to get themselves into the playoffs. 

 "We really started fresh mid-season, we refocused our priorities on making the playoffs," Greene said.         

Knowing they needed a big win to revitalize their season, the Lancers did just that.  In what can be defined as the turning point of their season, the Lancers beat the 2009 TVL champions Hopkinton, 1-0.  It was their first shutout of the season which was especially impressive as the Lancers used backup goalie, Joe Maia, who was playing in his first varsity game. 

That was a great defensive performance by our team, and it was a big turnaround for us; it started a four-game winning streak," explained Greene.

The boys went on to push their way into the playoffs for the fourth year in a row, especially thanks to Keegan Campbell, the only player in Greene's tenure to go to the playoffs all four years of his career.  

Greene emphasized the fact that all year the boys were led by Keegan.

"He was our MVP in every aspect of the word.  He played forward, center man, and sweeper for us. He led our team with nine goals even though he had to play defense for part of the year. He embodies what we represent, he plays with passion, hates to lose, that is what you build your team around. "     

After their tough start, getting to the playoffs was no small feat of its own. But, Norton managed to fight into the quarterfinals with a couple solid playoff wins.  Especially their big win over No. 3 seeded Norwell.

"Winning two games was realistic. It was a good run," said Greene. 

 The coach  did not see the quarterfinal loss to Duxbury as a negative either, as Duxbury was a formidable opponent.

"Duxbury is always good. It is a great program," said Greene.     

Next year, Greene hopes to have another strong season even though he will be losing so many seniors.  He  has lost as many as 11 players before and still competed.  He feels his junior class is very strong.

"Kolin missed three weeks with a broken nose, and was still second on our team with eight goals," said Greene.   

 The Lancers will also have their goalie, Ben Donovan, coming back for his senior year. He was a TVL all-star his sophomore year. Greene knows he has a lot of experience still returning, and he is looking for some of the younger players to fill bigger roles on the team. Players such as Kevin O'Leary, who was brought up to the varsity team for the playoffs, had a big assist versus Norwell. 

It was an exciting year for the Norton boys; they managed to go on a winning streak mid-season to secure a playoff spot, and then played strong in the playoffs. Even though he will miss his seniors, Greene knows next year will be another solid year for the Norton Lancers. 

"It is going to be a challenge next year, but we have been through this before. These kids are just going to have to step-up," said Greene.