by Ryan Mosher
Under the lights of the New Lebanon Central School soccer field, the Tigers boys varsity team hosted rival Berlin on Tuesday night for the second meeting of the teams this season. In the first meeting New Lebanon squeaked out a 1-0 win. The on and off again rain throughout the game added an extra element to the always exciting matchup.
New Lebanon struck first when Ben Tavares headed the ball past Berlin keeper Phil Bruns. That 1-0 lead did not last long though as Berlin struck back shortly after. After a missed clearance by a
Tiger defender, Juan Santana took the ball and fired a hard shot by the goalie to knot the game at 1-1. Unfortunately for the Mountaineers, New Lebanon would strike again in the first half. With 4:04 remaining in the first, Mike Gavrity beat Bruns to a ball in front of the goal and deposited it into the back of the net, giving the Tigers the 2-1 lead.
That lead would hold up through back and forth pressure in the second half, and the Tigers would hold on for the victory. Bruns had 10 saves for Berlin, and New Lebanon’s Bryan Potter had 8 saves.