PALMER — The Athol boys soccer team lost, 4-2, to Palmer and was eliminated from tournament contention under the lights at Legion Field, Monday night.
The game was testy and physical, as the Panthers knew a playoff spot was on the line for the Red Raiders.
Athol took advantage of a direct kick opportunity to take the lead in the first half. Nick Bousquet’s kicked sailed into the box and found the head of Bryce King, who angled it in for a goal.
“We got a great boost in the first half when Bryce (King) scores that goal,” Athol coach Dave King said. “We put ourselves in a great position for the second half.”
The Panthers scored three straight to take a 3-1 lead in the second half.
Another goal by Bousquet off an Angel Rivera corner kick with eight minutes left made it 3-2. Minutes later a bouncing ball near Palmer’s goal line was cleared by the Panthers.
Palmer scored once more with under a minute left to end Athol’s hopes for the postseason. Athol (8-10) needed one win it its final three games, but ended the season on a three-game losing streak.
Seniors Noah Aukstikalnis, Zach Fish, Angel Rivera, Jared Rouleau and Dennis St. Jean played their last game for the program.
“You should be proud if you are a parent of any of those guys,” King said. “They work hard and represent themselves. They have strong core values. They gave a lot to Athol soccer.”
Casey Mason made eight saves for the Red Raiders.
The game featured fans getting warnings for verbal complaints about play and officiating, players complaining about comments coming from the bleachers and a lot of stoppages for players who went to the ground.
Athol’s Maysin Tarbell played an active game for the Red Raiders.
Mahar 3, Commerce 0 — The Senators (15-5) closed out their regular season with a 25-15, 26-24 and 25-23 road sweep.
Ava Santana and Jordyn Berry both had seven kills for Mahar.
Aria Flematti had 17 assists. Mahar will find out its playoff opponent on Tuesday.
Mahar (9-6-3) drew the eighth seed in the Western Massachusetts Division 2 Tournament and will play two-time defending champion and No. 1 seed Greenfield (16-2-0) on the road, Wednesday at 4 p.m.
