Locals starring on soccer field
A little of this, a little of that …
• When it comes to managing a heavy workload for their respective Division I women’s college soccer teams this fall, former Cumberland High teammates
Abby Drezek and Julianne Ross and Lincoln native Chrissy Bacon appear to have the market cornered.
Major minutes go with the territory when your respective teams are counting on you, particularly when the ball enters the defensive zone. Drezek and Ross are sophomores at UMass Lowell and Northeastern, respectively, while Bacon is a freshman at Wagner. Position-wise, Drezek and Ross are listed as defenders while Bacon is catalogued as a midfielder.
Drezek, Ross, and Bacon have appeared in a combined 22 games entering Thursday. They’re 22-for22 in the starting department. Such a stat demonstrates their value and importance, virtues that were extolled by their respective head coaches when reached for comment earlier this week.
On Drezek, with 622 minutes of game action through eight games, UMass Lowell
interim head coach Mira Novak said, “Abby has been a consistent performer this year and has become one of the leaders in the backline. She has made huge progress comtpared to last year, and she’s somebody who always wants to work on her game and get better. Her pattern recognition gets better every game, and I am truly excited about her potential and how much more she can tgrow. Not only does she excel on the soccer field, but she is a top student who gets heavily involved in the community. She’s a prototype player who utilizes every development opportunity on and off the field.” a On Ross, a first-team All-Colonial Athletic Association pick as a freshman and named to the preseason All-CAA team entering this season, Northeastern head coach Ashley Phillips had this to say, “Julianne has been a key component to our backline since her darrival at Northeastern last fall. Her athletic qualities separate her as a defender. She is able to cover a lot of ground because of her mpace and her strength allows her to battle with any attacker she faces. She is also solid in the air and fits our possession-based style because of her ability to make plays out of the back. She is a very gifted player who continues to grow. She is one of the most competitive players that I’ve worked with and is always working to improve. My favorite part about nher is that she’s a great person and extremely fun to coach.”
On Bacon, who has logged 470 minutes over the first six games, Wagner head coach Phil Cassella stated, “Christina has been an absolute gem for us. Every day she works extremely hard and has a great attitude both on and off the pitch. She has been a mainstay in our midfield and also has the ability to play on the backline. She has shown great technique, ta desire to win tackles, and really is establishning herself as someone we can rely on.” f e • Nice gesture on the part of Larry O’Donnell, a 1981 Mount St. Charles graduate and ta valuable coaching presence with the MSC hhockey program. Back in the spring, O’Don,nell won the naming rights to the center circle aduring the silent auction in conjunction with the school’s Tuscan Night fundraiser. For one year, the street that leads directly to Mount’s front door is renamed per the choosing of the ytop bidder. o O’Donnell felt it would be appropriate ffor 2018-19 school year to feature Richard Lawrence’s name on the sign. Now when -folks drive to Mount, they’ll be coming to 50 .Richard Lawrence Lane. The “50” symbolizyes a significant milestone for Lawrence, now lthe senior athletic director at MSC after serv”ing as the longtime athletic director. This year marks Lawrence’s 50th at Mount St. Charles.
“Larry is such a great guy and a big supporter of Mount. He respects Richard,” Mount president Alan Tenreiro said.
O’Donnell informed Mount officials of his intention during the summer. Earlier this week, the grand unveiling took place. It’s a fitting honor for a person who’s come to epitomize Mount Pride.
“Richard was probably one of the first lay people at Mount St. Charles. He means so much to the school,” Tenreiro said.
• The R.I. High School Baseball Committee recently got together to talk realignment for the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Over those two years, Divisions I and II will continue the longstanding tradition of heading to McCoy Stadium for the best-of-three finals.
The playoff road to the finals will feature a vast departure from past practices, i.e. the double-elimination pod system. For the next two years, the first round and quarterfinals will adhere to a single-elimination format. The semis and the finals will each feature a best-of-three series. This revamped format should help provide some breathing room and scheduling flexibility as it relates to endof-school-year mayhem.
Right now, the breakdown includes 20 teams in Division I, 20 teams in Division II, and eight teams in Division III. In Division I and II, the top seven teams in each subdivision will qualify for the postseason. The top seed in each subdivision will receive a first-round bye.
An interesting proposal by the Baseball Coaches Association was to include a homeand-away series against the same opponent that takes place over consecutive games. Everything will be officially finalized at the November meeting of the R.I. Interscholastic League’s Principals’ Committee on Athletics.
• When Mookie Betts jumped from Pawtucket to Boston in 2014, then-PawSox manager Kevin Boles quipped, “He was here between haircuts.” That was in reference to Betts spending less than a month in Triple-A before making his big-league debut.
When Rafael Devers was promoted to the Red Sox after a nine-game stint with the PawSox in 2017, Boles was once again right on target, saying, “Devers came in on 30 percent on his iPhone. When he left, it had charged to 70 percent. Didn’t even get a full charge. It was pretty short.”
Those two spot-on declarations stood out the most during Boles’ five years in the PawSox dugout. Similar to Betts and Devers, Boles aspires to experience a coaching version of a call-up. Last weekend’s news of his departure from the Red Sox after many years of loyal service must mean that he has an idea of what might be out there for him. With that in mind, it wouldn’t register as a surprise to see Boles enjoy a short-lived stint as a free agent.
• In other PawSox coaching news, we’ve heard that coach Bruce Crabbe and hitting coach Rich Gedman aren’t under contract for 2019. Crabbe’s proven track record when it comes to working with infielders should result in the Red Sox figuring out a way to keep him in the fold. That way, the tutelage of expected 2019 PawSox infielders Michael Chavis and Josh Ockimey can continue under Crabbe’s watch.
Meanwhile, Gedman will be a September call-up addition to Alex Cora’s staff at some point this month.
• What causes more angst: the Red Sox bullpen or the Patriots’ wide receiver corps?
• It appears the “907” that was spray-painted on the Apex roof earlier this year has been painted over. Is that a sign that owner Andrew Gates – dubbed “a rather stubborn landowner” by PawSox chairman Larry Lucchino – is finally getting close to selling Pawtucket’s pyramid?
• Plenty of people are unhappy about no more chances to buy an 87-cent hot or iced medium coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts the day after a Patriots win. Why did the folks at DD headquarters discontinue a popular practice of discounted coffee for one day? • In case you missed it, myself and Will Geoghegan, sports editor of the South County Independent, have launched a weekly podcast called Ocean State Sidelines. Topics will center around R.I. high school and college sports. You can expect fresh episodes to drop every Thursday and can look for it under our Twitter handles (@BWMcGair03, @RhodyWill) or on the websites of The Pawtucket Times (pawtuckettimes.com), Woonsocket Call (woonsocketcall.com), and South County Independent (independentri. com). There aren’t too many avenues where local sports are the centerpiece of discussion, hence that’s what gives this podcast venture a unique layer to it. Try it out … you won’t be disappointed.