In a historic effort, the NW boys upset Fort Ann

CHESTERTOWN | On Oct. 1, 2007, the North Warren Boys Soccer team defeated Fort Ann, and now 18 years later to the very day, the North Warren team again beat the Cardinals, the first time they won a game against the perennial powerhouse team in 18 seasons, Cougars coach Jim Conway said. The Cougars' Oct. 1 victory keeps their Adirondack League playoff prospects alive for 2025, he said. A key factor in their apparent recovery from their struggling 3-6 season as of Sept. 30 was that their full roster of players was available for action in the Fort Ann game, the first time this season for a complete lineup. "We really demonstrated our true potential," Conway said. The first 24 minutes of the game went scoreless until Cougars' senior Nick Heckman scored a goal off a through-pass from junior George Hilton. Then Fort Ann pressed hard, taking one shot after another, but could not find the net unobstructed due to North Warren's efficient defense. Meanwhile, North Warren's strikers kept attacking hard. With two minutes left in the first half, Hilton received a cross pass from Heckman and slammed the ball to the back left post to put his team up 2-0 at halftime. At the beginning of the second half, Heckman took advantage of a misplay by Fort Ann, which left their goal open. His shot into the net advanced the Cougars to 3-0. Fort Ann, however, was undeterred — never letting up, they responded soon after as Marcus Stowhas muscled in a well-targeted corner kick from Chris Corbett. Capitalizing on their momentum, Fort Ann struck again two minutes later as Corbett passed a ball through traffic to Caleb Stranahan, who scored a goal, which narrowed the score to 3-2. But merely a few minutes later, senior Coleman Swartz launched the ball over the heads of Fort Ann defenders to Hilton, who kicked the ball into the net, increasing the Cougars' lead to 4-2, the game's final tally. One standout statistic showcasing the Cougars' performance against Fort Ann, is that Fort Ann was undefeated in league play this season until they competed against North Warren, only giving up one goal in their first five games — but the Cougars scored four on the Cardinals on Oct. 1. NORTH WARREN 3, SPA CATHOLIC 2 Two days later, North Warren kept their momentum rolling by defeating Saratoga Catholic by a score of 3-2. Just 13 minutes into the game, Swartz blasted the ball from 20 yards out to score. Spa Catholic countered seven minutes later with Gian Luca Russo scoring off a corner rebound. Nine minutes afterwards, Heckman scored to advance the Cougars to 2-1, ending the first half. The Saints started the second stanza with heightened energy, with David Redgrave scoring with just three minutes expired by kicking a bouncing ball in the box into a corner of the goal. The remainder of the match was tightly contested as no one could find the back of the net until five minutes were left on the clock, when junior Connor Hill headed a corner kick into the goal to secure the 3-2 win for North Warren. Cougars goaltender Will Lindsey had four saves while Spa Catholic goalie Thomas Zayac had 3. Conway expressed optimism for the remainder of the season. "We seem to have strength in every position now, plus we have speed," he said. "Hilton and Heckman are doing exactly what they are expected to do, utilizing their accurate passing and good field vision," Conway continued. "Coleman Swartz is versatile: when we need him to be an offensive attacker or on defense, he rises to the occasion." Also, the change the season's trajectory for the Cougars is due to an evolution in the players' collective mental state, he said. "The boys are getting confident now," Conway said. "They see we have the ability to 'go the distance' this season." Conway said he expects the Cougars —with their full roster, new confidence, and team spirit — will experience success in the postseason. "Our game against Fort Ann was huge for us," he said. "We're definitely in the race for the Adirondack League playoffs." Next up for North Warren is an away game Monday, Oct. 6 versus Hadley-Luzerne, followed by a game two days later versus Corinth. On Friday, Oct. 10, the Cougars have a rematch at home with Hadley-Luzerne.

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In a historic effort, the NW boys upset Fort Ann

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