With six games left in the season, the race for the title was tight. Westford was at the top, ahead of Crestwood by one point, with Riverton and Ashbourne close behind. Crestwood's next game came at home against Northbridge, a team that didn't win often but also didn't lose much. In the changing room, Coach Warren reminded them of that fact. "Northbridge are organized. They will frustrate you, force you into making mistakes, and make you chase the game. If we play their game it's going to be a long day. Stay patient and trust the game plan."
There was a nervous edge to the team. Games like this have decided plenty of title races before.
Northbridge showed their organized style immediately. Compact, disciplined, and closing every gap quickly. In the 9th minute, Northbridge quickly countered, and their striker forced the Crestwood keeper to make a low save.
For the first quarter of an hour Crestwood struggled to get settled. It wasn't until the 18th minute that they created any sort of chance. Ethan chipped a pass over a defender to Callum, but his shot was blocked by another defender.
Northbridge struck first in the 26th minute. Their left winger beat his man and squared it into the box. The striker was the first one to the ball and buried it low to give Northbridge a deserved lead.
The home crowd roared as their players celebrated, while Crestwood heads dropped. Mason shouted to rally them. "It's only one goal, there's plenty of time left!"
In the 39th minute, Ethan picked up the ball, danced past a defender, and played a through ball into Callum's stride. Callum smashed the ball into the top corner. One all.
Halftime came with the score level and felt like anyone's game.
The second half started with Northbridge sitting back and daring Crestwood to try and break them down. Ethan tried to make something happen, but every time he had the ball, there was a defender right there to challenge him. In the 57th minute, Mason won a tackle that sparked a counter. Ethan picked up the ball and passed it out to the left winger. The winger put in a cross into the box where Callum leapt and powered a header just wide of the post.
Crestwood kept the pressure on, and just a few minutes later, they had another chance. Ethan intercepted a pass and slipped it forward to Callum. Callum held up the ball inside the box and passed it back to Mason, who was making a run just outside the box. Mason smashed it first time into the low corner to give Crestwood a 2-1 lead. The Crestwood bench exploded as the players on the field mobbed Mason.
Northbridge started to attack more, chasing the goal they needed to level the match. With just a few minutes left in the match, a free kick whipped into the box created chaos. A shot that bounced off the crossbar was taken by the Northbridge midfielder before being cleared.
In stoppage time Northbridge had their final chance to equalize the match. Some more chaos in the box before their striker managed to poke a shot towards goal, but the keeper was able to make the save.
When the final whistle finally blew, Crestwood survived. Crestwood 2 Northbridge 1.
The players collapsed onto the pitch, drained but victorious. It wasn't pretty, but it was still three more points. The spirits were lifted even more when they heard that Westford had drawn their game against Riverton. That result, combined with the win against Northbridge, meant that for the first time this season, Crestwood were the league leaders.