Central Falls downs Raiders on DaSilva goal
Warriors battling to make Div. I playoffs
PAWTUCKET – Could it be that Central Falls High will survive a disastrous start and actually snag a playoff bid?
Everything is starting to look that way after the Warriors, who opened with a horrendous 16-0 mark in Division I action, nailed down their third straight triumph with a thrilling – and late – 3-2 decision over rival Shea at Max Read Field on Thursday night.
Junior midfielder Esteban Osorio played the obvious role of hero on this chilly evening, notching two goals and one assist, the feed aiding in senior Adilson Gomes S. DaSilva’s game-clinching shot with 4:44 remaining in regulation.
“I have to tell you, this poor kid was heart- broken (not being able to play from the season’s outset),” veteran head coach Carl Africo stated after his team improved to 4-6-0 in league play (4-7-0 overall). “He was waiting on a financial hardship; he had transferred in from Rocky Hill, and he’s a CF kid. The paperwork didn’t get in (to R.I. Interscholastic League ruling officials) on time, so he wasn’t allowed to play.
“He finally became eligible last week against Tolman, and we’re 3-0 since,” he added. “(Senior) Eder Barbosa is a new student at CF, and he’s solidified our midfield; he and Esteban have become quite the tandem.
“I told the boys when we were 1-6 that the first half was over, and that I didn’t want to hear about the phase of the season again. We had scored three goals in the first game and didn’t score at all in our losses, so I was done with it. I told them we had seven games left, we needed 13 points for the playoffs and I wanted them to concentrate on that.
“I’m proud of how they’re playing.” The Raiders (4-6-1 overall, 4-6-0 league) squandered two leads, one in each half. They got on the board first when senior Geison Silva DaCruz scorched a feed from classmate Camilo DePina over CF senior netminder Calvin Maradiaga with 10:51 left in the initial stanza, but CF came back four minutes later after Osorio scored a goal that defines pretty.
On the play, freshman Juan Blandon issued a pass to DaSilva, who delivered a terrific crossing feed to Osorio; the latter just needed to slide it home to knot it at 1-1.
Exactly 1:16 into the second half, DaCruz posted his second, a left-footed, 20-yard free kick, for the 2-1 cushion, but that didn’t last long, either. A mere 25 ticks later, CF senior David Restrepo crushed a shot in toward the cage, and a Shea defender headed the ball, he hoped, from harm.
Osorio, however, drilled the rebound past Ednilson Tavares to tie it once more.
Over the remaining minutes, DaCruz struck two headers on DePina corner kicks, one off the crossbar and another off the right post, and with 26:54 left in regulation, Helder Barbosa sent another one off the crossbar.
In the end, CF’s DaSilva finished it off. A Shea defender mistakenly headed the ball in the wrong direction (i.e. toward his own cage), Osorio tracked it down, fed DaSilva, and the latter tucked his wide-open attempt into the netting.
“This is a huge victory for us,” Africo admitted. “I can’t remember the last time we’ve beaten Shea; it’s been a long time. We haven’t done it since I’ve been coach. I know we tied them a couple of times, but that’s it.
“As you know, we’re the Road Warriors (as we can’t play any home games due to possible soil contamination at Macomber Stadium),” he added. “I tell the kids, ‘Road Warriors. Have cleats, will travel.’ If we do end up making the playoffs, we’re going to be a tough out, I can tell you that.”