Blanco delivers hat trick
Senior forward helps undefeated Tolman overwhelm Central Falls
PAWTUCKET – In the four-plus years Danny Silva has coached Tolman’s boys soccer team, the Tigers have never beaten Division I rival Central Falls.
So, before his squad hosted the Warriors in an always-competitive battle at the McKinnon-Alves Complex on Wednesday night, he used that fact as part of his pre-game speech.
“I told them beforehand that CF had owned us in my tenure; we had never beaten them, that we had lost three and tied them only once,” he said matter-of-factly. “I didn’t have any expectations, but I asked them if they wanted to put an end to that.”
Silva’s Tigers more than obliged. Luis Blanco, who decided to play his senior year for his school squad after spending the past couple of seasons within the New England Revolution Academy, erupted for a hat trick and two assists as Tolman crushed their rivals, 7-1, before a crowd of at least 120 folks.
“When Coach told us that, we got really motivated,” Blanco grinned after his club improved to 5-0-3 in league action and in the process remained one of only two unbeaten teams in the entire division (La Salle). “After all, we hadn’t beaten them in a long time, and this is our home field, so we had to win here.
“It’s also a rivalry, so we wanted this one. I thought we put a lot of work into it, so we deserved to win the game.”
To be honest, even Warriors’ longtime chief Carl Africo couldn’t argue.
“This is Tolman’s year,” he stated. “They’ve got a real good team. Danny had a chance to drop down a division three or four years ago but chose not to. He said, ‘I’m trying to build a good, lasting D-I program here,’ and – guess what? – he’s done it.
“He’s got the twins (juniors Roy and Juan Barrios) in the middle, he’s got Luis up top and (senior) Joselito) Rodrigues on the wing,” he added. “They’ve all got fire and they’re all good players. Those guys took their lumps when they were freshmen and sophomores, but Danny’s got them all pulling in the same direction.
“Obviously, that’s tough to do at an inner-city school. Yeah, we’ve got talent, but getting the kids to focus and play team soccer, that’s tough to do.”
Blanco needed just over two minutes into the contest to convert a feed from Roy Barrios, and – 12:04 later – senior Nehemias Sandoval hauled down Barrios’ brother Juan in the box. He calmly rifled the penalty kick past CF senior keeper Camilo Vasquez to make it 2-0, and Blanco registered his hat trick before the 22nd minute had ended. That’s when he ripped a 25-yard direct kick inside the left post.
Blanco then assisted on classmate Kilo Targue’s tally in the 26th minute, not to mention Roy Barrios’ first goal at 36:00.
Blanco notched his third tally on an incredible try; Targue had sent a low-rope pass inside the upper left corner of the box at Blanco, and the latter one-timed it out of the air past a diving Vasquez for the goal that gave the hosts the 6-0 cushion.
In the final session, Silva opted to play a lot of his usual substitutes/ JV kids, and the Warriors took advantage when one committed a foul in the penalty box. In the 13th minute, senior Esteban Osorio smoked a grounder toward the left post, but THS sophomore keeper Nelton Semedo (five saves) made a spectacular diving stop.
Unfortunately for him, the rebound caromed right back to Osorio, who tucked it inside the open net.
Senior fullback Jason DeAmaral scored a thrilling goal (for him, considering his position) with less than seven minutes left to seal it.
“This is a result of us, for the past couple of years, not having a proper training/practice facility in the city,” Africo explained. “If you can’t train like a D-I team, you’re sure as hell not going to play like one. Still, I want to make it clear that I understand our mayor (James Diossa, himself a CFHS soccer alumnus and 2002 state champion) is working extremely hard at resolving the situation. I have faith in James.”
As for Silva, he met with his players afterward and warned them not to get complacent, that this victory was excellent, but there was excellence forthcoming.
“All of our attention is now on Central, who we’ve got on Friday,” he said of the 4 p.m. showdown at Conley Stadium. “We played well here, and it was easier than we thought, but Friday’s going to be a different story. We’ve got to play to win.”
Central Falls 0–1 –1
Tolman 6–1 –7
First half: T – Luis Blanco (Roy Barrios) 2:10; T – Blanco (penalty shot) 13:58; T – Blanco (una.) 21:19; T – Kilo Targue (Blanco) 26:07; T – R. Barrios (Blanco) 36:00; T – Blanco (Targue) 38:51. Second half: CF – Esteban Osorio (una.) 53:06; T – Jason DeAmaral (una.) 73:31.
Shots on goal: Central Falls 6, Tolman 18. Goalie saves: Camilo Vasquez (CF) 6, Junior Teixeira (CF) 5, Nelton Semedo (T) 5.