Slow start dooms Woonsocket
NARRAGANSETT – The Woonsocket boys soccer team hit a wall in the preliminary round of the Division III playoffs on Wednesday. Matched up with #6 Narragansett, the Villa Novans were forced to face a team that is likely of much higher quality than your average team at that seeding.
“They were seeded third until the last game of the season,” Novan head coach Andrew Rao said, referring to a 1-1 draw between Gansett and Pilgrim. “Then they dropped three places.”
Playing against a team that defeated topseeded Cranston East and was competing for a top spot in the playoffs until the last day of the season, the Novans were up against it from the get-go on Wednesday. After conceding goals in the third and ninth minutes, Woonsocket never recovered, losing the elimination game 3-0.
“We gave up two goals way too early in the game,” lamented Rao. “And the third one wasn't a good goal. Loose ball in front of the net, we should've cleared it out. That would've made a difference.”
Speedy Kaelin Kilroy broke free for the early Mariner score, and Jacob Lubic headed in a corner kick six minutes later. The Mariners enjoyed eight corner tries in the contest – six of which came in the first 40 minutes – while the Novans had none.
On a bouncing ball in the defensive zone, Mariner Brody Williams took a feed from Lubic to push the lead all the way to 3-0, with only 30 minutes having ticked off the scoreboard.
Woonsocket put three shots on net in the first half, and all were cleanly vacuumed up by keeper Jack Betts. Left-footed Hezekiah Adeyeye got an early boot through on net, and Carlos Ponce provided the other two tries.
“He was an excellent goalie, I think they put him up for player of the year,” Rao said of Betts. “Carlos had a couple rockets at him and he put his hands on all of them. He didn't give up any rebounds, hit the ball down. He was quick.”
Betts made seven saves total against the Novans, and now has 152 saves on the season. Only Graham Bennett (Providence Country Day) has more stops in RIIL soccer this year.
Adeyeye put another shot on net in the scoreless second half, as did Buba Joof, who's spinning shot was cleared out by a diving Betts. The Novans conceded two corners in the second half, but held strong on the two set plays.
“Second half they played hard,” Rao said of his charges. “It was an even game, we just spotted them three goals in the first half. That was the game.”
In the waning minutes of the playoff contest, Mariner freshman Ethan Betts was shoved down in the penalty box, giving the youngster a shot at scoring the second goal of his high school career. He left the ensuing PK short, and Juan Ceron swallowed it up, one of six saves for the junior netminder.
The Novans lost to the Mariners 3-1 early in the regular season, but that game was much more competitive than the rematch ultimately turned out to be.
“First game was closer,” Rao recalled. “We were up 1-0 in the first half, and they ended up scoring. They put the last goal in with 30 seconds left, it was a 2-1 game [really].”
Woonsocket won six games in D-III this season, despite having just three seniors on their roster.
“We played with three seniors, two started,” Rao said. “It was a growing thing. They'll be back, we'll have the same group next year.”