Saints hustle past Pride
BVP frustrated SRA for 30 minutes; flood gates opened
PAWTUCKET — The undermanned Blackstone Valley Prep boys soccer team did what it had to do to slow down St. Raphael Wednesday afternoon at the McKinnon-Alves Soccer Complex.
The Pride, who were missing one of their key attacking players and their starting goalie for most of the first half, essentially ceded possession to the Saints and put two banks of five between the Saints and their goal.
For the first 33 minutes of the Division III contest, the Pride frustrated the Saints and kept the game scoreless. But once Diego Romero’s left-footed shot from the top of the box snuck into the corner of the net, the flood gates opened and the Pride had no way to close them. SRA holding midfielder Daniel Flynn had three assists, while Andrew Silva had two goals in a 7-1 victory.
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“The last couple of games that’s the way teams have played against us,” St. Raphael first-year coach Miguel Sagastume said. “The game against Scituate, that’s what it was. A lot of teams know our playing style and they know they can’t compete with that, so they’re going to have to sit back and defend the 80 minutes. It’s going to be tough for them because we’re just going to wear them out.
“Soccer is all about patience and that’s what we’re trying to communicate to these boys. The gaps will open up and there will be holes. Once you get the first goal, things will open up.”
St. Raphael (10-1-1 Division III) will be back at McKinnon-Alves Friday against a tteam that isn’t likely to sit back and absorb pressure for 80 minutes. Exeter-West Greenwich, which boasts the state’s leading scorer in Cian Purcell, comes to Pawtucket with the best record in the division. If the Saints win, tthey will likely lock up their second straight Division III regular-season title.
Blackstone Valley Prep (4-6-2 Division III) is coming off a season where the Pride won 10 games and reached the Division III playoffs, but the graduation of a number of players and the loss of one of the state’s most talented forwards, Patrick Pires, to Tolman has forced coach Ed Laskowski to rebuild around a core of underclassmen.
The Pride have three games left in the regular season and if they can pick up victories over North Providence and Paul Cuffie in their next two games, they could host a firstround playoff game in Cumberland.
“We have seven or eight players who are getting significant minutes who are in ninth or 10th grade,” Laskowski said. “As the program builds and we graduate a bigger chunk of seniors, there are some voids to fill and the younger kids are taking those spots. We’re still working towards our goal and we need a few more points to reach the playoffs.”
BVP’s defensive approach certainly frustrated the creative Saints for long stretches of the first half, but the visitor’s tactics went for naught in the 33rd minute when Flynn found Romero, who cut inside the penalty box and unleashed a low shot that went past the dive of goalie Xavier Mendez. The Saints added another goal five minutes later when Dylan Polion took a pass from Flynn, dribbled past a defender and scored.
“Against a defense like that, you either have to play out wide or find a way up the middle,” Sagastume said. “We have it in us to play different ways. We have guys out wide who can play and guys up top who can play. For example, Andrew has been playing goalie all season, but we took him out and put him in the first and he scored two goals. It’s about having that flexibility.”
“Hat’s off to St. Ray’s because they’re an excellent soccer program,” Laskowski said. “We wanted to think defensive and contain them and limit their shots. The start was a big highlight for us, but the score doesn’t reflect that – but the game is more than the first 35 minutes. It’s nice to see these young guys play at that level.”
The Saints poured in on in the second half and it all started with an own goal off a corner kick in the 46th minute. Flynn produced his third assist of the afternoon seven minutes later when he slid a ball in from the byline that was tucked into the net by Codman. The two connected again minutes later on a beautiful cross from Flynn for Codman to head into the net, but the play was ruled offside.
Spencer Hsu and Silva increased the lead to 6-0 before BVP’s Jesse Torres scored a superb goal from outside of the box in the 69th minute. Silva finished the scoring in the 80th minute to send the Saints flying into Friday’s showdown with the Knights.
“We know we’re going to have a tough challenge Friday, but these boys are working and working and it’s paying off,” Sagastume said. “It’s good to see because they’re at a different point now then when they started the season. They’re developing and their communication is better, but there’s always something you can critique.”
Photo by Ernest A. Brown