But the confidence built after a convincing 4-2 win over Middlesex League rival Arlington in the opener. With a 3-0 victory over Woburn the following game, it grew some more. The Warriors (8-1-1, 5-0-0) sit atop the ML Freedom Division and are 13th in this week’s Globe Top 20.
“If I told you that we were going to be 8-0-1 through the first half of the season, I’d be a liar,” said Wakefield coach Matt Angelo before Monday’s 1-0 loss to Lexington.
Under Angelo’s guidance, the Warriors are playing the same press-heavy system as last year. But this season’s group is leaning into the physical side of the game to help ease the departure of 10 graduated seniors.
That mind-set draws back to Wakefield’s motto of playing ‘blue-collar soccer,’ which Angelo has drilled into the team from the first day of preseason tryouts. That mantra has been used in years past, too, but this team has taken it especially seriously.
“We’re really just based on being blue collar and fitter and just mentally tougher than teams,” said junior striker Jack Millward.
For instance, Gagne, a 5-foot-7-inch midfielder, said his favorite part of playing soccer is winning headers over those several inches taller than him. He’s able to do so consistently, which he attributes to “wanting it more.”
Angelo has talked about ‘blue-collar soccer’ so much that his players poke fun at him, and the slogan has turned into an inside joke. Nonetheless, the mentality has been instrumental to Wakefield’s success.
“We may not be the most skilled team,” Gagne said. “But what makes us so special is that any contested ball, any chance to press, any area where we can go get one little win in the game, they just add up.”
Of course, having a potent offensive threat helps. And Millward has been just that for the Warriors, tallying 17 goals and two assists through nine games.
The central midfielders — Gagne, plus sophomore Guy Revah and junior Mhamed Boukataya — feed through balls to Millward up front, who rarely misses a chance in on net.
“He’s an athletic freak,” Angelo said of Millward, who is 6-4 and also stars for the basketball team. “He’s a clinical finisher, he’s a student of the game. He works tremendously hard.”
Tactically, there are plenty of similarities between this team and last season’s, which lost, 1-0 in overtime, to Oliver Ames in the Division 2 final.
Like last year, Angelo wants his team to play with pace and intensity, emphasizing the counter-press to win back the ball after turnovers. And Angelo (’05), an alum, has continued to draw from the program’s history to motivate his players.
As he did last season, he has shown grainy clips from the 1997 state title team to highlight what it would mean to win it all. As a little kid, Angelo was a ball boy for the ‘97 squad, Wakefield’s last to secure the state title.
But the Warriors have hardly mentioned last year’s heartbreaking finish, even if the memory has stuck in the back of everyone’s mind.
“We’re a completely new team,” Millward said. “Completely new season, so we’re not worried about that anymore. We’re just trying to build ourselves as a team and make a mark for ourselves this year.”
Corner kicks
▪ The 22nd ALS Cup finished in dramatic fashion, with Grady Smith scoring in the final minute to give Newburyport a 1-0 win over Pentucket Saturday, the Clippers’ third-straight cup win. The event was started by former Newburyport coach David Greenblott in 2002 to honor his mother and aunt, who both passed away from the disease.
▪ Top-ranked Newton South kept the good times rolling after senior captain Nico Bradley buried a free kick to the bottom corner to beat Framingham, 1-0, in the final minutes Saturday … Methuen is in the midst of a strong turnaround, having won five straight after a 1-3-0 start. In that span, the Rangers have outscored opponents, 17-0 … Beverly earned an historic win, toppling Masconomet, 3-1, Wednesday for the Panthers’ first win over the Chieftains in 25 years. Thomas O’Neill, Jackson Merritt, and Connor Sullvan all scored. As Beverly coach Edgar de Leon put it, “We were due for a day in the sun, and this was it.” The teams are 1-2, respectively, in the Northeastern Conference … First-year Norwood head coach John Lochhead earned his first win in charge when the Mustangs shut out Bellingham, 2-0, Thursday.
Games to watch
Tuesday, Sharon at No. 10 Franklin, 4 p.m. — Sharon is the surprise of the Hockomock this year. How will the Eagles fare against the perennial power Panthers?
Tuesday, No. 1 Newton South at No. 2 Concord-Carlisle, 4:45 p.m. — Two of the Dual County League’s, and state’s, best face off in this enticing top-five clash.
Thursday, BC High at No. 5 St. John’s Prep, 4 p.m. — It’s always fun when these Catholic Conference foes battle. BC High goalie Jack McConville will attempt to shut down red-hot Prep star Garrison Murphy.
Saturday, Cohasset at Pembroke, 11 a.m. — Two of the best teams on the South Shore face off featuring stars Nathan Askjaer (Cohasset) and Shane Crowley (Pembroke).
Monday, No. 18 Belmont at Arlington, 12 p.m. — The two teams atop the Middlesex League’s Liberty Division are set for a mid-day battle.
Correspondent Mike Puzzanghera contributed to this story.
