N.S. gets a leg up despite tie
Young North Smithfield side earns draw with SRA
Northmen get a point out of draw with St. Raphael
NORTH SMITHFIELD — The result was predictable, but that was fine with both coaches.
Coming into Thursday night’s Division II Blackstone Valley clash, the North Smithfield and St. Raphael girls soccer teams combined to score just three goals in five contests. And, not surprisingly, North Smithfield senior Alyssa Naradowy and SRA’s Carly Quinn produced shutouts in a 0-0 tie.
The point represents the first positive result for a North Smithfield squad that is looking to rebuild after dropping just a pair of games last season on its way to the No. 3 seed in the playoffs. Outside of senior Meredith Parsons, coach John Pastore is completely rebuilding his attack around talented freshmen like Sadie Crozier, Jacquelyn deRonde and Madison Reilly.
“For us, this was a good result because we’re a very young team with good senior leadership that should get us through a tough season,” Pa- store said. “Meredith has really been strong as a leader, but unfortunately she doesn’t have a lot around her because we’re so young. We have a lot to work on with this team.
“The first thing we’re doing is building a little team unity, but on the soccer field the biggest thing is our first touch and improve our technical ability. Once we do that, we can develop a style of play that is better than what you saw today.”
St. Raphael (1-2-1 Division II) has strung together a pair of positive performances since starting the season with back-to-back shutout defeats to Moses Brown and Mount St. Charles. The Saints defeated North Providence, 2-0, earlier in the week, as Quinn has allowed just one goal from open play.
Just like Pastore, SRA coach Andre Martins is counting on a few freshmen to augment the veterans. Freshman Ariel O’Brien, who had her team’s best chance in the 57th minute, along with wingers Alivia Diaz and Rachel Gomes have played well in the last two contests.
“We have the players who can put the ball in the back of the net, but we’ve focused so much early in the season on defensive organization,” Martins said. “We know that when we lose the ball we have to get compact right away, and that’s something we’ve worked on so much, that we’ve taken some time away from getting forward. We need to focus on defense first because if we score 10 and give up 11, we still lose the game.”
North Smithfield (0-2-1 Division II) is hoping to win games 1-0 this season with a veteran defense led by central defenders Madison Reynolds and Julia Dias. Alyssa Neary and Thao Nguyen are also leading by example in the first three games of the season.
After a quiet first half, the Saints had the first good scoring chance in the 57th minute when O’Brien ripped a shot from the top of the box that Naradowy knocked down and retrieved.
“I think if we get better, we can win games,” Pastore said. “I know the seniors have very high expectations because they want to do better than last year, but I was honest with them about where we are. As the year goes on we will get better. We want to move forward for next year and the year after.”
The two best scoring chances over the final 15 minutes belonged to the Northmen, as Parsons, who was the leading scorer on last season’s team, tested Quinn with a shot after the senior went past a pair of Saints.
Crozier nearly scored her first varsity goal in the 72nd minute, but Quinn was on hand to stop the shot from the right side of the box.
While the Northmen travel to Warwick Monday to face Toll Gate at Bend Street, the Saints face their toughest test of the young season when talented Pilgrim comes to McKinnon-Alves Tuesday afternoon.
“We’re striving for the top eight, but we need to at least make the playoffs,” Martins said. “That’s something that’s realistic for us. If we continue to get better, that’s realistic.” Follow Branden Mello on Twitter @Branden_Mello
PATRIOTS ROLL
LINCOLN — Davies Tech senior forward Julianne Desautel scored four goals and junior Ivelisse Martinez scored two goals and delivered an assist in the Patriots’ 9-0 Division III home win over Times2 Academy Thursday afternoon.
Davies Tech ( 1- 1- 1 Division III) raced out to a 7- 0 advantage at halftime to earn its first win of the season. Marissa Martinez added a goal and an assist while the Patriots were the beneficiary of an own goal.
Davies is back in action Monday afternoon when the Patriots cross the Blackstone River to take on Blackstone Valley Prep at 4:15.