When everything is factored in, the Londonderry High boys’ soccer squad had itself a pretty darn impressive 2017 season which came to an end with a tournament loss to the team which went on to win the Division I championship.
Anybody who got the chance to watch the LHS boys contingent play between August and November can attest to the fact that the team had no shortage of talent. And three of the Lancers wound up notching all-state recognition from the state’s soccer coaches recently.
Senior striker Josh Rutina, senior midfielder Owen Creed, and sophomore defender Nick Weinmann all received Second-Team All-State honors after helping their contingent to a superb 12-3-2 overall record and the second seed in the D-I tournament.
“Josh Rutina had 14 goals and two assists and earned the LHS Best Offensive Player Award for a second year in a row,” said coach Todd Ellis. “He was a tri-captain and three-year varsity player. Josh was a real threat on the outside for us this year. His work on and off the field will be missed next year.”
Of Owen Creed, the LHS coach stated, “Owen had five goals and six assists, was a tri-captain, and a three-year varsity player. He did a great job creating for us in the midfield this year. It was nice to have him healthy for the whole season, and we will miss that next year.”
Speaking of skilled 10th grader Nick Weinmann, who played on the LHS varsity for the first time this fall, coach Ellis said, “Nick did a great job filling in for Luke Cava when he went down early with a season-ending injury. Nick continued to improve as the season went on, and was a real factor in the team recording eight shutouts this year playing that center-back position for us.”
The Lancers began their 2017 campaign in exceptional fashion, winning their first four matches and boasting a 6-0-1 record through seven. They’d outscored those opponents by a glittering 23-2 margin and posted five shutouts already.
The LHS squad’s season hit a bit of a lull after that as the locals were only 1-2-1 in consecutive matches against Pinkerton, Salem, Timberlane of Plaistow, and Bedford. But coach Ellis’ crew finished strong with five straight wins for a 12-2-2 overall regular season mark.
After enjoying a restful bye in round one of the tourney, the Lancers played host to a seventh-ranked Concord High Crimson Tide contingent in the D-I quarterfinals, dropping a 1-0 decision to that determined opponent. Concord later went on to defeat ninth-ranked Manchester Central in the division title match.