Boys soccer: Smith Academy, Granby battle to hard-fought 0-0 draw (PHOTOS)

HATFIELD – All four members of Granby’s back line coordinated to keep the Rams boys soccer team unbeaten. They swarmed Smith Academy engine Riley Intrator and kept the Falcons off the board during Monday’s tilt.

But Smith Academy’s defense equaled their effort, and both teams left the 0-0 draw shackled atop the Schmid League standings.

“The competitiveness is crazy out there, guys going 100 percent to the ball at all times just flying all over the place, testy,” Smith Academy senior Logan Graves said. “It was definitely exhausting out there.”

The teams only combined for four shots on goal and not many more chances than that. Granby goalie Daniel Gauvin made three saves and punched out a late corner before it became a threat.

“There was that one time they almost had us, but we got Daniel Gauvin in there,” Granby senior Robert L’Abbee said. “He’s a beast.”

Granby’s senior-laden defensive line of L’Abbee, Carter White, Benjamin Berger and Cody White became brutish itself whenever the Falcons tried to spring one of their forwards with a through ball. They muscled players off the ball and collapsed on anyone who took too much time with it. 

Smith Academy created its best chances off set pieces but couldn’t convert any of them into goals.

Granby notched its sixth clean sheet in a row. The Rams haven’t given up a goal since the 22nd minute against Hopkins Academy in their season opener Sept. 8.

“It was mostly man marking but they knew their zones so they could switch off with a midfielder or another player could come support them so they could take care of those outlets, or that person who might win the ball to try to feed it in,” Granby coach Todd Dorman said. “We broke up a lot of those plays just by being able to overlap and communicate.”

The teams broke through the middle of the field quickly, but attacks from both sides sputtered as they neared the opposing penalty box. Smith Academy keeper Ryan Belina only needed to make one save due to the stout play in front of him.

“This team was very physical, the most physical team we’ve played all year,” Belina said. “They held their own.”

Both squads welcomed the tension. Smith Academy (6-1, 6-1 Schmid) had outscored its opponents 37-3 in a 6-1 start, while Granby (5-0-2, 5-0-2) held a 15-1 advantage over its first six contests.

“It’s nice to have a tight game,” Smith Academy coach Jason Duncan said. “We could use more tight games.”

The Falcons are the defending Western Massachusetts champions for the sections smallest division. They won Class D last season and will compete with Granby in the newly formed Class E in about a month.

The draw awards both teams a point and keeps them at pace in the jumbled Schmid title race with Springfield International and Hopkins Academy.

“It’s a relief not to lose this game,” L’Abbee said.