Kamaric lifts Central past Memorial, 1-0, in OT thriller

MANCHESTER, NH — When all is said and done, it might be remembered as the biggest goal of the year for the Central High boys soccer team.

Sophomore Amar Kamaric drilled home a rebound with 7:18 to play in the second overtime to lift the Central past crosstown rival Memorial High, 1-0, Thursday night at Gill Stadium.

It was a physical game, played with the intensity of a tournament match. There were numerous fouls on each side but play never devolved into dirty play.

Both teams had scoring chances in the two 10-minute overtime periods before Central was finally able to cash in. Little Green senior Ibrahim Alasbahi put a direct kick on net from about 40 yards. Memorial keeper Thomas Stamoulis was able to slap the ball down over a crowd but Kamaric pounced on the rebound and slammed it into the far corner to trigger a Central celebration.

Beyond city bragging rights, the victory snapped a two-game losing streak for the Little Green (6-2-0) and provided the team with some much needed momentum at the mid-point of the season. Kamaric’s game-winner was Central’s first goal in more than 250 minutes of game time, a drought stretching back to the Little Green’s 2-1 win over Exeter.

“I told the guys before the overtime started, that no matter what happened, whether we won, lost or tied, we took a big step today,” said Central Head Coach Maid Ahmic. “I’m happy to get the win but I was super happy with their performance. The goal at the end was just the cherry on the cake.”

For Memorial, the loss continued a season of offensive frustration. The Crusaders (2-5-1) have scored just four goals in eight games this season and have been shut out five times. Still, Head Coach Jerold White was pleased with his club’s performance against Central and believes there is too much talent on the roster to remain stuck in the offensive doldrums.

“Putting the ball in the net has been a struggle for us,” said White. “We matched up with them, it was an even game until the last five minutes of the overtime. It’s tough for the seniors, they’ve tied Central but they’ve never beaten them. Their last game (vs. Central), they wanted to get the win.”

Led by strong play from Vinny Santos, Braden Merchant and Jacob Foy, Memorial controlled play for lengthy stretches. But the Crusaders had difficulty getting quality scoring chances thanks to the play of the Central back line. Seniors Alasbahi, Samuel Mikus and Walter Cerna and junior Angelo Ngemonza played an exceptional game, limiting Memorial to just four shots on keeper Sam O’Toole.

“Our backs, our center backs, our goalie played a beautiful game,” said Ahmic. “The last couple of games had been very sloppy. I talked about needing to clean up the mistakes and I think we cleaned up a lot of them tonight.”

At the other end of the pitch, Central utilized their superior speed to generate better scoring chances. Midfielder Celestin Buloze, in particular, had several strong runs in the first half.

Stamoulis was stellar in net for Memorial, finishing with 10 saves, the best of which came in the final moments of regulation. Central’s Martin Lubunga sent through Martino Cueto, who made a nifty move to get a clean shooting lane and ripped a blast headed just under the crossbar. But Stamoulis timed his leap perfectly and snatched it with two hands.

Central returns to action Tuesday, playing host to Concord at 6:30 p.m. at Gill. Memorial will look to find its offense on Tuesday, at home, against Dover.