Monteiro scores twice to earn Tigers draw with Clippers

CUMBERLAND — After the Tolman boys soccer team twice battled back to earn a 2-2 tie with Blackstone Valley rival Cumberland at Tucker Field Saturday night, Tolman coach Dan Silva was quite clear on how he viewed the battle to become the next state champion.

“It’s one game great and then the next game we’re not great,” Silva said after another upand-down performance. “I don’t think anyone wants to play us. When they see Tolman coming, they’re giving us more respect than they had in the past. We’re not at the top, but we’re contenders. We can beat anybody and we can lose to anybody, too. We belong and people know that.”

Saturday night’s physical contest – there were three yellow cards handed out – was a microcosm of both teams’ seasons. The talented Tigers were forced to settle for their third draw in just six games thanks to a pair of defensive mistakes that allowed the Clippers to jump ahead.

Tolman senior forward Daniel Monteiro scored goals in both halves to help his squad secure a draw, but the visitors could’ve left with all three points if junior winger Joselito Rodrigues’ shot from the top of the box in the 80th minute went in instead of skimming off the top of goalie Jake Reed’s crossbar.

Cumberland (2-2-2) received goals from junior Cole Cayer and junior Matt Lopes to earn a point just a few days after getting played off the field on the road at South Kingstown.

“I’m a little disappointed with the point, but with the competitiveness of Division I and their dynamic attacking players, they could’ve gotten something, too,” Cumberland coach Justin Resendes said. “I’d like to think that the chances we created were a little better, but the energy toward the end started to slip the other way.

“The SK game was a game where we just didn’t show up. I thought that the big message in training this week was showing up to play and competing. We did that tonight.”

Cumberland (2-2-2 Division I) received superb play from outside defender Troy Harraka and junior central defender Jonathan Baker. The Clippers are going to need to be solid in the back over the next few weeks because the team’s most creative midfield player, junior Aidan Bagley, is going to miss the first few weeks of October with a broken right toe.

Bagley suffered the injury originally against Tolman in the summer, but he aggravated it against the Rebels. Resendes said no one player is going to be asked to replace the captain.

“It will be a team effort,” Resendes said. “Right now, Ricardo (Benitez) played at No. 10 and Edwin Goncalves also slid in there. At the end of the day, losing a guy who the program looks at as a leader and brings a lot to the program, we need multiple guys to fill that role.”

Tolman (2-1-3 Division I) served notice that it was ready to compete for the state title following a 2-2 draw to perennial powerhouse La Salle two weeks ago. Since then, the Tigers trounced East Greenwich before Saturday’s draw.

Silva bemoaned his team’s defensive focus on both of Cumberland’s goals. The Clippers grabbed the lead in the 14th minute when Matt Hyman beat his defender to the byline and crossed a ball from the right side and Cayer slid it past talented junior Jason DeAmaral.

The lead lasted just four minutes because the Clippers failed to spot Monteiro, the Tigers’ leading goal scorer with four, at the top of the six-yard box. The senior directed a corner kick into the net. Michael Lopes tried to clear the ball off the line, but he was in the goal when he headed it back into play.

Tolman’s defense made another mistake in the 50th minute when Salim Chakhsi had the ball stolen from him by Denser Diaz, who quickly crossed the ball to Matt Lopes for a goal.

“I thought they outworked us for the most part,” Silva said. “(Chakhsi) tried to make his own play, loses the ball and it’s a wide-open goal. Both of the goals shouldn’t have happened. I thought both of their goals were gifts and I thought we earned our goals.”

The Tigers tied the game for the second time 15 minutes later when the Clippers could only clear a Roy Barrios free kick to the top of the box. Monteiro was on hand to smash a low shot to the left of Reed to tie the game.

While the Clippers visit Classical Thursday night, the Tigers take on one-loss Hendricken Tuesday night.