BVP falls to Scituate by goal
Pride drop first playoff game in program history
CUMBERLAND – Blackstone Valley Prep had just suffered a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to Scituate in a Division III quarterfinal – in fact, its first-ever playoff appearance – on Tuesday afternoon, and coach Ed Laskowski asked his players, as always, to jog across the field and back.
He then told the group to stroll over to the red corner flag nearest the school and his own team bench. When they did, he offered his squad a quite touching – and real – postgame speech.
“You put us on the map; you should be proud of yourselves,” he stated. “You got this school to its first playoff berth ever, and that’s something to be proud of. You also have to know how to win and lose gracefully.”
When asked why he made that comment, Laskowski admitted some of his kids were downtrodden with the defeat, and noted, “It always stinks to lose, but you’re always trying to develop these boys into fine young men, and that’s what I want them to know; that they’re going to have many defeats in life, but how you respond to them is very important.
“These are teachable and learn-able lessons, and I want them to learn that now.”
The Pride, which battled tooth-and-nail for 80 full minutes, closed its successful campaign at 10-7-0 overall, while the Spartans improved to the same mark, but qualified to play another game.
In the end, Scituate took advantage of a BVP mistake just outside its opponent’s penalty box in the 52nd minute. Officials whis- tled what appeared to be a “hand ball,” and that gave the Spartans a 19-yard free kick from the left third of the box. Sophomore Jack Campbell smoked a hard grounder at senior keeper Jovany Alvarez, and it caromed off the right post before spinning into the netting.
“It was a real pretty goal he scored,” Laskowski confessed.
It nevertheless appeared BVP would take the lead halfway through the opening stanza, when sophomore Jonathan Martinez drilled a 30-yard direct kick at senior goalie Max Pierce (12 saves), but he made a superb diving save by the left post.
And, with about nine minutes left before the break, SHS senior Chris Olney crushed a 33-yard high liner from the right side of the rain-slicked turf, yet Alvarez made a leaping catch to save a goal.
The shot just may have snuck under the crossbar if he hadn’t.
The Pride controlled time of possession through the initial six-seven minutes of the second half, but Scituate turned the tide with a couple of outstanding attempts on net. Not long after, Campbell planted his tally.
With about 10 minutes remaining in regulation, Laskowski’s crew produced a fantastic, relentless offensive surge, and one such flurry almost tied it up.
Senior Fawas Onifade took a pass on the right side and walloped a long liner at the upper left corner of the cage before Pierce leaped and knocked it away. On the ensuing corner kick from the left, taken by senior Adolfo Ramos, rapped a feed into the upper right portion of the box, and junior Patrick Pires jumped above the fray and headed it.
Yet again, however, Pierce made a leaping grab.
The surge continued until the final three minutes, when Scituate’s defense sagged and continued to clear the ball from harm.
“We talked about that at halftime – that one slip in the mud or one mistake could be crucial, and it was,” Laskowski said. “We made a mistake right outside the box, which gave them a break. The kid hit a great shot and they capitalized.
“Down the stretch, I really thought we were going to knot it; I really did,” he added. “Our players have fought all year, and I thought we’d put one home, but we didn’t. That’s the way this sport works sometimes.
“They collapsed that defense in the end, and we didn’t score. We’ve played good soccer for the majority of the season, but the thing is, you can’t win if you don’t score. I’m still really proud of this team and what they accomplished.”