Lincoln tops Woonsocket
Young Lions control second half of contest
Lions boys outpace Villa Novans in D-II contest
LINCOLN — The young Lincoln boys soccer team isn’t going to make the Division II playoffs, but that’s what makes the way the Lions played in their pair of Blackstone Valley clashes this week all the more impressive.
Coach John D’Aloisio called Tuesday’s narrow defeat to Mount St. Charles the best game the Lions played this season, and Thursday afternoon, the Lions finally turned their possession-based attack into goals at the expense of struggling Woonsocket.
Senior midfielder Matt Mardo scored the only goal the Lions would need with four minutes left in the opening half, and then the floodgates opened in the second half. Sophomore Walter Albizures scored for the second straight home game and Isaih Estrada and Willian Hanna added goals three minutes apart in a 4-0 Division II win over the Villa Novans.
“This wasn’t the most complete performance, but it was a great performance,” D’Aloisio said. “Mount was the most complete performance we had and this one was good, but we were shaky in the opening 15 minutes. This game opened up and these kids play well when they have space to work with, just like most kids.
“Sometimes, the athleticism and the intensity is lacking, but today they had it. Plus, once you get a goal it’s a little more fun to play.”
Lincoln (2-8-2 Division II) has been in position to win its last six contests since a 5-0 defeat to undefeated Moses Brown. The Lions have suffered onegoal losses to Prout, North Smithfield and Mount St. Charles to go along with a win over second-place Smithfield and a tie with playoff-bound Middletown.
The Lions have three games left in the season, starting with Monday’s road game against West Warwick, and they want to begin to lay the groundwork for a 2017 playoff run over the final two weeks of this season.
“It means a lot to jump up to the next placing in the standings and then jump up another place,” D’Aloisio said. “All of the sudden you’re finishing the season in a respectable position. Everything the kids have been working on is starting to pay off and some wins late in the season would be very rewarding.”
“For me, we’re just trying to put it together and make some good senior memories,” Mardo said. ‘Hopefully we can win a few games over the final two weeks and help them get ready to make the playoffs next season.”
Woonsocket (1-10-1 Division II) has give up at least four goals in its last three games. Goalie Neftalie Ortiz couldn’t be blamed for three of the goals because the Lions simply broke through the Villa Novan defense and had point-blank shots against the senior. Ortiz made five saves.
The Villa Novans, who have lost their last five games, play their final home game of the season Monday afternoon against Hope.
Even though the scoreline indicates the Novans were blown out, they were the better side for the opening 25 minutes and nearly took the lead when Ronaldo Ledesma Marquez had a close range- shot pushed aside by sophomore David Leonardi.
Lincoln, however, struck first in the 36th minute when junior Gianni Campanaro beat a defender and played the ball to the top of the box where Mardo one-timed a shot into the roof of the net.
“We’re finally getting our passing down and we’re getting confident in our movement,” Mardo said. “We’re keeping our composure. I like when we hit the through balls and not the long balls over the top. We’re a small team – we don’t have the size – but we have the passing on this team.”
Albizures added to the lead nine minutes into the second half when he fired a shot under Ortiz. That goal took the air out of Woonsocket, as the Lions scored twice in a three-minute span to put the game out of reach.
First, Nick Albanese played a perfect ball from the byline that Estrada smashed into the net and then Zack Carvalho had his cross directed past Ortiz by Hanna.
“The kids are competing versus just playing,” D’Aloisio said. “That seems to be the thing we’ve harped on over the last four or five games. When you compete you have to do something better than somebody else – and I think they’re starting to understand that.”