MONMOUTH -In all the confusion of the moment, Noah Bosworth found the ball and the net. That was all he needed.

The Monmouth Academy junior fired home a loose ball with 3:46 left in regulation to lift the Mustangs to their first boys’ soccer win of the season Wednesday. Bosworth’s second goal of the game produced a 2-1 victory over Winthrop.

“This is a big deal,” said Bosworth. “We have a pretty good rivalry with Winthrop. This is a good feeling. We lost to Mt. Abram, and that was pretty bad, but we pulled through. That’s a big thing for a young team.”

The Mustangs had been producing scoring opportunities for much of the second half, but Winthrop keeper Ryan Michaud thwarted those bids. As regulation wound down, some nice execution led to Bosworth’s game-winner. Corey Dyke won the ball in the midfield and sent it to Morgan Bergeron on the right wing. His cross to the goalmouth had the masses converging. Michaud and Bosworth went to the ball and collided. It took an instant for both to get situated, but when Bosworth did, he had the ball at his feet and an open net in front of him.

“It was chance,” said Bosworth. “I didn’t see it coming. He made a great cross. The goalie misplayed it, and it landed on my foot. I just turned the right way.”

Winthrop lost its regular season opener 8-0 while Monmouth dropped a 5-0 game against Mt. Abram. It was an evenly matched game Wednesday, giving both squads opportunity at a win.

“Both teams are in the same position where we both have young teams,” said Monmouth coach Drew Riddle. “They have one senior. We have zero. Everybody’s learning the game a little bit. Speed-wise and ability-wise, we’re both on the same page.”

Winthrop (0-2) struck first when Cody Maitland booted in a rebound from six feet out 7:13 into the game. Bosworth got that back when he beat a defender and blasted a shot from the left side with 25:53 left in the half.

“That was huge,” said Bosworth. “That was our first goal of our season. It was a big momentum boost to see that one on the board.”

Winthrop had a prime chance early in the second half when John Berube snuck behind the defense and had his chip shot saved by Seth Musich. Monmouth answered with numerous tries at the tie-breaker.

Bergeron had a shot at an open net that was kicked out by Dylan Craig. Michaud made a diving save on Bosworth and a chip by Dyke hit the crossbar and dropped down into the goalmouth where Michaud grabbed it.

“Their goalie made an excellent effort,” said Riddle. “He did an amazing job in there. He came out and made some huge saves. We’ve been working a lot on spacing this week, trying to read the gaps and make the plays to the alleys.”

It was a nice passing and execution that led to Bosworth’s game-winner in the final minutes.

“It’s definitely a confidence builder at this point,” said Riddle. “We’ll keep working at it, and then see more success this season.”