Semptember 12, 2024 – Story by Zachary Wong, photos by Joshua Ross
The home opener for Hingham soccer was a great win against the rivaling Marshfield Rams 1-0. Very early in the game, Hingham struck first with a great goal. A fastbreak from junior Colman Donahue led to a great pass from him to senior Michael McNabb. This would be the only score of the game, yet Hingham continued to dominate defensively. Senior goalie Jacob Riker makes an amazing save early in the game to keep Hingham’s early lead. Just 5 minutes later, Riker would again make a fantastic save. Going into the half, Hingham had great momentum.
The second half was one of great defense from Hingham. They kept great pressure on attackers at all times. Hingham stayed aggressive, however, with many close scoring chances. When asked about the boys on the defensive end, coach David Leahy expressed how the best part was how, “we adjusted in the second half to really take away the ball in the air, which they dominated in the first. We really came through and kept the ball at their half.” Coach Leahy also talks about what makes the team great. He finds that everyone on the team, “steps up and steps in. If someone goes down with a concussion, or the captain is out with his hamstring, people are stepping up. The teamwork and unity are the best thing right now.”
With this game, the Hingham Harbormen are now 2-0 early in the season. For the future, coach Leahy wants to, “keep everybody healthy and on the same page. And to put games away instead of battling so hard for 80 minutes through scoring more.”
The game had a large amount of physicality. Players were battling back and forth for the ball, both offensively and defensively. “It’s time to start winning the ball in the air,” Leahy exclaims. When Michael McNabb was asked about the physicality of the game, he responded explained “Coming into this game, we knew this team would be physical. It’s a very tough game, but we were ready and we all watched our film.”
“Everyone is ready for the new season. Everyone is giving their all out there,” Said McNabb. Overall a great start to the season for the Harbormen. With their next game against ScituateThursday at home at 4:00pm, they look to start the season off 3-0.