The fifth-seeded Manchester Memorial High School boys soccer team advanced to the Division-I quarterfinals with a 3-1 victory over 12th-ranked Goffstown on Wednesday, highlighted by Leis Taric’s opening goal and a strong defensive performance anchoring the Crusaders through the cold fall fixture.
Fantasy & Market Impact
- Offensive Momentum: Forward Frank Tessier continues to lead the attack, keeping opposing backlines constantly on their heels and boosting his profile as a primary scoring option.
- Defensive Stability: Sophomore back Alex Tingas, alongside DJ Jolicour, Fabricio Mercado, and Rowan Meehan, maintains a defensive structure that limits transition opportunities.
- Upcoming Fixture Valuation: Memorial shifts focus to a challenging away quarterfinal matchup against fourth-ranked Exeter on Saturday at 3 p.m.
Controlling the Pitch in the Queen City
Playing on a cold Wednesday night in Manchester, the Crusaders utilized precision passing and quality finishes to secure their progression in the Division-I tournament. Entering the playoffs with a 10-3-3 regular-season record, Memorial established early control and took a 1-0 lead into halftime. The advantage expanded to three goals in the second half before a late penalty on a handball allowed Goffstown to break through.
The big piece is just trying to knock the ball around. That’s our goal, and we had the opportunity to do that against this team,
longtime Memorial head coach Jerold White said. They gave us some space, so we were able to do that.
The tactical setup prioritized ball circulation across the top side of the pitch. White credited sophomore back Alex Tingas and DJ Jolicour with playing good balls out of the back, enabling midfielders to turn and face the rest of the field.
Executing the Attack and Sealing the Match
Memorial broke the scoreless deadlock when Leis Taric received a deep pass with his back to the goal, executed a sharp turn and shoot, and found the back of the net. We practice that because we want to receive the ball with our backs to the goal and be able to turn and just hit it, and that’s what he did,
White explained.
Throughout the second half, Frank Tessier continuously challenged Goffstown’s goalkeeper. With under 15 minutes remaining, Tessier collected a seamless through pass from the midfield, closed in from the left side, and fired a low shot across the net into the back right corner to double the lead. In the closing minutes, Tessier chipped a pass over two defenders to Dylan Merchant, who took a clean first touch and sent the ball toward the opposite post and in to seal the 3-1 victory.
Quarterfinal Showdown Against Exeter
Following Wednesday’s win, the Crusaders advance to face No. 4 Exeter in the Division-I quarterfinals. The fixture is scheduled for Saturday at 3 p.m., with Memorial preparing to review film to counter Exeter’s tactical shape. Although the teams have not met earlier this season, Memorial carries experience from facing opponents like Nashua South and Winnacunnet during the regular season.
The goal here is who plays good soccer that day, and who is able to take on their matchups and produce,
White stated.
