06/23/201906/23/2019

Total Team Effort Lifts Taunton to First State Title

Taunton baseball Evan Melo Josh Lajoie Jack Moynihan — Taunton captains (L-R) Evan Melo, Josh Lajoie, and Jack Moynihan celebrate with the D1 State Championship trophy. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)

LOWELL, Mass. – It was fitting that the final out bounced to sophomore shortstop Ty Cali. He jumped into the lineup in the playoffs after starter Danny MacDougall suffered an injury in the first game of the postseason. Cali had two hits and an RBI in Saturday night’s Div. 1 state championship game at Lowell’s LeLacheur Park and was an example of the way the whole Taunton program came together to send the Tigers on an improbable championship run.

That run came to a climax on Saturday, as Taunton (21-7) got four hits and a pair of RBI from the bottom three in its lineup, got four strong innings from senior Josh Lajoie, who was making his first start of the playoffs, and rallied with a pair of runs in the final two innings after seeing a 3-0 lead slip away.

The Tigers found a way to win, a common thread throughout the tournament, pulling out a 5-3 victory against Shrewsbury to secure the program’s first-ever state championship.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

“We knew it was going to be another tough game,” said Taunton coach Blair Bourque. “That’s a great team over there and they gave us everything we could handle. We were able to put some at-bats together. It’s a team effort.”

Senior pitcher Logan Lawrence, who picked up the win with three innings of relief, said, “It almost feels too good. First time in history winning sectionals, never mind winning states.”

A state championship seemed farfetched in April. The Tigers stumbled out of the gates, going 4-4 in their opening eight games, but they stayed the course and eventually things turned around. Taunton finished the season by going 17-3 over its final 20 games. Its only losses in that span were to Super 8 participants Mansfield (twice) and Franklin.

“At the beginning of the year we all talked about it in the weight room about how nice it would be, but we also knew how difficult it would be and all the hard work it would take, and how much better we’d have to get throughout the year,” said senior Jack Moynihan.
“We knew we’d have to keep fighting and everyone in the program has busted their butts.”

Bourque said, “This season we had a lot of adversity early and I think that helped us down the road. Obviously, the Mansfields and the Franklins are the teams we want to compete with. This is a step in the right direction.”

On Saturday, the Tigers faced Shrewsbury ace John West. The 6-foot-8 junior has already committed to Boston College and he lived up to the billing the first time through the Taunton order. He struck out five, held the Tigers hitless, and allowed only one base runner over the first three innings.

West may have drawn the headlines prior to the game, but he was matched over the first three innings by Lajoie. The St. John’s University-commit got the ball for the final and allowed only two hits through four innings. An error and a walk gave Shrewsbury its only rally in that stretch, but Lajoie responded with a strikeout and induced a pop up to get out of the jam.

Taunton grabbed the lead in the fourth. Colby Lariviere drew a one-out walk and would come all the way around to score when Lawrence’s line drive skipped past the centerfielder and turned into a triple. Nolan Melo came in to run at third base and he would score on a perfectly placed safety squeeze by Jared Roderick.

The Tigers tacked on another run in the fifth. Evan Melo led off the inning by drilling a double into the corner in right and he was quickly brought home by a Cali single. Gavin Leahy drew a walk and Lucas Martins had an infield single to load the bases with one out but a double play ended the inning.

“It’s great because as a pitcher you look at the bottom of the order and you think just breeze through them,” said Lawrence about Taunton getting production from its full lineup. “When you know for a fact that other teams aren’t going to be able to breeze through the bottom of your lineup, that helps you a lot mentally. A lot of confidence comes from that.”

Shrewsbury did not go quietly. In the bottom of the fifth, the Colonials had three straight singles, including a bunt single to load the bases with no outs. Lajoie was pulled for Lawrence, who gave up an RBI-single on his first pitch.

The next batter hit a shot down the first base line but Lariviere made a diving stop and got the lead runner at home. The batter had slipped so a return throw to first turned into a double play. With a chance to get out of the inning with the lead, Lawrence gave up a single to West, which scored a pair and tied the game.

Rather than letting their heads drop, the Tigers got right back to the plate and promptly grabbed back the lead. Roderick reached on a fielder’s choice, moved to second on a wild pitch, and then took third on an error that allowed Andrew Gomes to reach. For the second time in the game, Bourque called for a squeeze and this time it was Evan Melo who dropped it down, pushing it up the first base line for a single and an RBI.

“We have confidence in ourselves and our ability to generate a couple of runs here and there,” Bourque explained. “There was no panic, we’ve been down before. Last game, we were down twice, so we had the confidence in our ability to generate some offense.

Taunton loaded the bases with one out for the second straight inning but both times failed to score a run. Lawrence made sure that it wouldn’t hurt too much by throwing a perfect sixth inning.

In the seventh, Taunton added an important insurance run. Nic Notarangelo, who’s inclusion in the starting lineup coincided with the Tigers’ improvement, started the inning by drilling a triple to the wall in right. Two batters later, Lariviere made it 5-3 with a sacrifice fly to left.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

As it turned out, the Tigers didn’t need the extra run. Lawrence got back to the mound for the seventh inning and threw another clean inning. He got a grounder to second, a strikeout, and then a grounder to short to seal the win and the championship.

“Nothing, just strictly adrenaline,” said Lawrence about what was going through his mind in the seventh. “When it was a 3-2 [count] and everyone was screaming, oh my god…” Lawrence shook his head, chuckled, and smiled.

Lajoie added, “It’s a dream come true. You dream of this at the beginning of the season and then you go through the season with your team, battling, and you see the pieces falling together…It’s unbelievable; I’m speechless.”

10/26/2016

Halben Lifts Attleboro Past Taunton and Into Tourney

Attleboro boys soccer — Sophomore Will Halben scored the lone goal of the game to lift Attleboro to a second straight 1-0 win and book the Bombardiers a spot in the state tournament. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)

ATTLEBORO, Mass. – The Attleboro attack has been far from potent this fall, scoring only 13 goals through the opening 16 games of the season and more than one goal in a game just twice, but on Wednesday night at Tozier-Cassidy Field a young Bombardiers team still had the opportunity to book its place in the state tournament.

Not surprisingly, Attleboro would only get one goal, but it turned out to be all it needed against Taunton. Sophomore Will Halben scored the winner for the second straight game, as the Bombardiers held off the Tigers 1-0 to qualify for the postseason.

“We got to the tournament that was really positive,” said Attleboro coach Peter Pereira, who also celebrated his 250th career victory on Wednesday. “I really wanted it for the younger kids because we got two big years coming up and I really wanted them to get a taste of it and see what it’s like.”

For two teams that had combined for only 22 goals coming into the game, Taunton and Attleboro started wide open with chances coming thick and fast in the opening half hour.

Ahijah Joseph got the attack going just two minutes in when he ran onto a through ball from Nick Lawrence, but his shot sliced wide of the post and into the side-netting. Two minutes later, Taunton had its first chance with Sean Crowley getting space in the right channel but sending a shot over the bar.

Joseph had a header on a corner cleared off the line by Taunton defender Jake DeAndrade and on the other end Crowley got hold of a volley but hit is straight at Attleboro keeper Nicholas Hasenfus. Taunton keeper Tim Gambaradella was then called into action for his first save when Zach White’s pass bounced into the path of Michael Russo but the goalie smothered the shot.

The game’s lone goal came in the 23rd minute. Devin Andre slid a pass behind the Taunton defense for Halben to run onto and the sophomore showed poise to calmly slide the ball inside the far post and past Gambaradella (four saves).

“It’s the young guys, the freshmen, the sophomores, they’ve got speed and they’re going to be really good in the future but right now it’s a learning curve,” said Pereira, who is in his 37th year in charge of the program. He added, “We don’t get too many goals, so we have to take them where we can.”

Taunton almost answered back immediately, but another shot found the side-netting. The Bombardiers could have doubled the advantage in the 28th minute when Russo found Nathan Laplume for a scoring chance only to be denied by Gambaradella at full stretch. The rebound fell kindly to Halben but he smashed his shot off the crossbar of the goalposts just above the net.

The next chance for either team would not come until nine minutes after the break when Lawrence had a shot saved and then his follow up was blocked out for a corner by Dan DeAndrade. That would be the last clear-cut chance for either team until the final three minutes of the game.

As end-to-end as the first half of the game was, the second turned into a midfield stalemate with both teams clogging up the middle of the pitch and limiting the opposition’s ability to get the ball into the final third. First-year Taunton coach Taylor Whitters credited the Tigers defense for closing the gaps and taking away space in the second half.

She added, “It’s just a matter of trying to stick with and learn our shape and try to be quicker with transitioning. That’s something we’ve been working on and I think they did a really good job of it in the second half especially.”

With a chance to secure a tournament spot on the line, Attleboro started to look a little nervous in the second half and passes started to go astray. Pereira said, “It was an ugly game but we’ll take it. We didn’t want to make mistakes and we were making mistakes.”

At the back, senior Harry Lancaster was there to clean up most of the mistakes, alongside fellow center back Tyler Treichler, and keep Taunton from taking advantage. “Harry’s been solid every game,” Pereira said. “He has absolutely saved our butts. He’s our top player. He’s a great captain and his soccer has been great at the back.”

Joseph nearly set up Lawrence in the closing minutes but the cross just missed the forward at the back post. With the clock stopped in the final two minutes, Russo had a chance blocked on the slide by Liam Crowley and then Lawrence flicked a pass to Russo who pushed it on to Austin Champagne, but Gambaradella came through with a stellar dive down to his left to deny the second goal.

“We missed a couple opportunities to out the game away,” said Pereira, “but what are you going to do? We’ll take it, we’ll organize and get ready for our last game, which is big for them because it’s for the cup.”

Assessing her first year in charge, after three years with the freshman program, Whitters said, “We have a very, very young team, so I’m very proud of all the accomplishments they’ve had this year. We’ve made lots of little victories along the way and I’m really excited for next year.”

Attleboro (7-5-5, 7-4-5) will close out the regular season on Saturday afternoon in the annual Leach and Garner Cup against North Attleboro.

10/22/2016

Oliver Ames Earns Playoff Berth In Barata’s 100th Win

Oliver Ames boys soccer — Oliver Ames’ Nathaniel Cardoza (left) and Ned Donovan (right) go up for a ball with Attleboro’s Ahijah Joseph. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSportscom)

NORTH EASTON, Mass. – Each year, Oliver Ames head John Barata says goal number one for his squad is to make the tournament.

The Tigers can check that off the list for 2016.

Oliver Ames scored a pair of second half goals and senior Ben Kemp made a couple of big saves as the Tigers landed a 2-0 win over Attleboro. The win gives Oliver Ames 17 points on the season, qualifying them for the D2 MIAA South Tournament. The win was also Barata’s 100th career win.

“We’re happy, we finally got in,” Barata said. “It took a little longer than I think I might have expected after I saw us play early in the season. But we struggled to score goals. On a positive note, it’s good to start getting these goals as we’re going into the tournament, it’s better than peaking too soon. We’re pretty happy with the way it worked out and very happy to be in the tournament now.”

In a relatively even first half, both OA and the visiting Bombardiers had decent scoring chances. A corner kick in the 11th minute fell to the feet of OA senior Joe LaBrosse but his low chance was blocked by a defender at the post.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

In the 18th minute, Attleboro senior Tyler Treichler denied OA of two solid scoring chances. First, it looked as though OA sophomore Nathaniel Cardoza would have an open look from the left side of the area but a slide tackle from Treichler denied the bid. Less than a minute later, LaBrosse had a chance from inside the area but once again Treichler got his leg in the way.

In the 23rd minute, OA’s Matt Campbell played a ball over the top for Thomas McCormick, who tried to chip the keeper but Attleboro’s Nick Hasenfus got a paw to it and pushed it wide.

Attleboro registered it’s first real chance in the 29th minute as Nick Lawrence was given some space for a shot from just outside the area but Kemp got a piece of it and smothered the rebound. A minute later, McCormick had a go from just outside the area but OA but Hasenfus was quick to get down and handle it.

Oliver Ames was content to sit back for the majority of the half, and did so to start the second half. The team’s patience paid off less than 10 minutes into the second half, as Oliver Ames saw an opportune time to press.

Cardoza chested down a clearance and took a touch towards the final third. He was able to push the ball past a defender towards the touchline, forcing Hasenfus to come out. Cardoza slipped the ball back to the middle where McCormick was able to tap it in to make it 1-0.

“I think the challenge is they don’t expect it from OA, because we’ve always pressed high and kind of run and gun and get forward, possess a little bit and then get forward again. By us sitting back, opponents have to make adjustments,” Barata said. “We like it because control the tempo, we can go slow, we can go fast, we can go in between. The best part about is, teams just give it to us sometimes because they try to go over the top or through the middle and then our guys are good when we have the ball. It can be frustrating to try and beat. So far, we’ve been successful doing it.

“We talk about trigger points on when to press, when to get forward. It’s not me shouting out when to press, it’s the kids recognizing triggers. It wasn’t perfect but it’s added an element to our game.”

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Attleboro sophomore Will Halben had a chance to level the game a minute later, taking a shot from the left side of the area. Kemp got a piece of it and Chris Lawrence cleared the loose ball.

“We have everything but the final third,” Attleboro head coach Peter Pereira said. “We can’t get the ball up and find the guys there. I have some of young guys trying to do some running but the final third, nothing got going. First half was kind of an even game. Second half they came out a little bit hungry, they had a couple of chances and they took it to us. We’re not a team that can come back, we don’t have the fire power. We can win the close ones but once they got the second goal, it was difficult to come back.”

The Bombardiers had their best chance in the 57th minute. Zach White’s free kick spilled to the right side of the area where senior Harry Lancaster was able to track it down. He launched a service back in front of goal where freshman Michael Russo put a header right on frame but Kemp came flying back into position to stop it.

“Ben made a huge save for us there,” Barata said. “He came out several times to deny some chances too, he has been great all season. All of our seniors have been great. They have really worked hard and helped accomplish our first goal, which is to qualify for the tournament.”

Oliver Ames doubled the lead just four minutes later in the 61st minute. Lawrence launched a throw in in the attacking third that found Cardoza in the area. The junior flicked the ball on, right to the head of classmate Cam Vella for an easy header into the net.

“We’re happy to put that [set piece] away,” Barata said. “The kids were joking how it was such a great sub because Vella had just gone in, it was his first touch. It’s something we’ve tried to work on, so many teams in this league can do it, and we have some kids who can too. So might as well work on a flick and it worked out for us tonight.”

Attleboro drops to 5-5-5 overall, with 15 points. The Bombardiers need to get 18 points to qualify for the postseason and have three games left to get those three points.

“We need three points in three games,” Pereira said. “We should be able to get it but everyone wants points now. The kids are working are, I’m sure we’ll do it. We’ve played all the big boys now we need to get some points from the final games.”

Oliver Ames boys soccer (7-4-3) is headed back to the postseason after going to the D2 State Final the last two years – winning it all a year ago. The Tigers’ seventh win of the season was also Barata’s – and assistant coach Fred Kurtz’s – 100th career win.

“I’m thrilled because it’s about parent support, school support – the administrators have been very supportive – and then my boys,” Barata said. “The kids are awesome, it’s their wins, they’ve won 100. I’m here to guide them along the way. Coach Kurtz and I have been here for almost eight seasons. It’s a wonderful honor for the school, for the kids and for the Easton soccer program. It’s a wonderful milestone but now it’s over with but it’s been a lot of fun.”

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

10/17/2016

Warriors Close Out Attleboro With Strong Second Half

By Jaron May, HockomockSports.com Student Reporter

WRENTHAM, Mass. – After tying Attleboro earlier in the season, King Philip knew it would need more than the one goal scored in the first half. The Warriors were able to turn it on in the second half, adding three more goals, to blank the Bombardiers, 4-0.

The Bombardiers came out strong and held the ball for most of the time in the first 20 minutes. Multiple chances opened early for Attleboro, but none ended in the back of the net. Most notably, in the 2nd minute, Ahijah Joseph streaked right up the middle of the Warrior defense and was just barely stopped at the last row of defense by a sliding Cameron Mullins.

Attleboro kept the pressure on, but the game slowly began to shift towards the other end, putting KP on the offensive. Once they got the ball rolling, KP never looked back.

KP’s first real chance came in the 12th minute when the ball was advanced into the zone and a waiting Colby Koch was ready to receive it. The Bombardiers defense came crashing in on Koch, a little too hard, and ran right into him, drawing the penalty kick. Mullins then lined up to take the ensuing penalty kick and booted it right past a diving Nicholas Hasenfus to open the scoring.

With a lone point up on the board for KP, the rest of the first half washed away with no real threats by either side.

To try to find a spark, Attleboro’s head coach Peter Pereira made a lineup change in the second half. He moved Harry Lancaster, who was previously leading the defense, to the front of the formation. This proved to be a smart decision as Lancaster helped the offensive attack for the Bombardiers.

After multiple shot attempts to open the half, the Warriors finally capitalized in the 47th minute. Tyler Mann dribbled the ball right up the gut of Attleboro’s defense and put a beautiful touch pass past the last defender right Koch. Koch then sidestepped the charging Attleboro goalie and was left we an easy tap in to double to score.

The Mann-Koch duo struck again just eight minutes later, but this time the roles were reversed. Koch, who had the ball on the wing, found Mann on a low cross, and the junior tapped it in at the far post to make it 3-0.

After the two quick goals, Attleboro tried to stop the bleeding with a time out. After the timeout, Lancaster helped put together one of Attleboro’s better looks of the game. He weaved in and out of the Warrior’s defense until he had an open shot on net but KP keeper Eli O’Neill came up with a big save.

O’Neill cleared the ball out by tossing it to Mullins, who then booted it down the field. He toed it right over the entire Attleboro defense to find Koch on the opposite end of the field. Koch took advantage and tapped in another wide open net for his second goal of the game.

With the Warriors up by four, it was a game of keep away for the last 20 minutes. KP kept up their pressure but did not get any more solid looks at the net. Attleboro did see a few more chances before the last few seconds ticked off the clock, however. The Bombardiers had two consecutive free kicks in the final three minutes of the game, but both were stopped in their tracks by KP’s defense.

“I think we moved the ball well. We created a lot of scoring opportunities; I thought that was awesome,” King Philip head coach Nick Gale said.

With the win the Warriors improve their record to 13-0-2 and keep a zero in the win column.

When asked about his team’s success Gale said, “Every game is going to be tough, everyone wants a piece of the success we are having. I try to keep these guys humble, and keep them focused on only getting better.”

The King Philip Warriors will try to stay hot as they face a true test in Oliver Ames on Wednesday. Attleboro will look to bounce back as they play host to a very talented Mansfield team on Wednesday as well.

10/13/2016

Foxboro, Attleboro Each Grab A Point In Scoreless Draw

Foxboro boys soccer — Attleboro junior Nick Hasenfus picked up his sixth shutout of the season in the draw. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)

FOXBORO, Mass. – As teams enter the final weeks of the regular season and points are at a premium, Foxboro and Attleboro settled for one apiece as they fought to a 0-0 draw at Sam Berns Community Field.

Despite dominating the majority of the first half, and recording more scoring chances in the second half, Foxboro was unable to find the back of the net, hitting the crossbar once and being stopped by Attleboro goalie Nick Hasenfus on other attempts. Meanwhile, the Bombardiers continued to be frustrated by the Warriors’ high pressure and their lone serious chance of the second half was blocked away before Bobby Harrison was forced into a save.

“We have to pick up points,” Foxboro head coach Joe Franchino said. “The guys fought hard, I thought we were the better team today. We were knocking it around, we had the possession and we had the chances. You just have to keep grinding, it’s been the nature of the season so far. The boys aren’t quitting though, it was just unfortunate we didn’t get a goal.”

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

After Attleboro registered the first scoring game in the 13th minute – a sequence between Aidan Lancaster and Ahijah Joseph resulting in a shot over the bar from Nick Lawrence – it was essentially all Foxboro for the final half hour of the opening stanza.

In the 17th minute, Anthony Barreira played Colin Spinney wide and his low cross was met by a one time shot from Nic Beigel but his shot skipped wide.

In the 25th minute, Beigel sent in a low service to the near post where freshman Joe Cusack got a touch to it but Hasenfus cut the angle down and got just enough to keep it out.

Three minutes later, after a corner was partially cleared, a service from Will Regan eventually was deflected to Barreira, who volleyed a rocket right off the crossbar and out.

The Warriors had two chances in the final minute with Spinney finding Cusack at the near post but his shot was wide and then Cusack returned the favor by playing Spinney in but Hasenfus denied his shot to send the teams into the halftime break scoreless.

“The first ten minutes is a feeling out period, looking at the formation they are playing, matching up players, have to be defensive minded in that first ten minutes,” Franchino said. “But once we got in a groove, we pushed players on and I thought we had the better play and the better opportunities.”

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

“We’ll take any tie because our goal is to get points,” Attleboro head coach Peter Pereira said. “We need points, we have four left so any point is great. Obviously [Foxboro] played better than we did, we got lucky because they hit the bar and they had a few opportunities. But we’re going home with a point so that’s excellent. It was one of our weakest games. We just had our best game last game and it was 0-0 then too. We dominated that game but here today, no. Foxboro was hungry, they were winning the 50/50 balls and had opportunities. The first half was all them. I don’t usually call timeouts but Foxboro was just putting pressure on us.

“The second half was more even but they still won more of the 50/50 balls. Anthony [Barreira] is deadly around the area. He’s a big boy, he’s got a good touch so he’s difficult. Harry [Lancaster] does a good job with anybody and he did with him.”

The Bombardiers registered the first chance of the second half when Austin Champagne pounced on a loose ball off a corner kick but his bid was blocked.

Foxboro’s AJ Bubencik had a shot from just outside the area saved by Hasenfus in the 57th minute and Barreira had a similar shot smothered by Hasenfus in the 61st minute.

“He’s been solid,” Pereira said of Hasenfus, who notched his sixth shutout of the season. “He talks, he gets the kids going, the kids have confidence in him now. He’s been a total surprise, I had no idea. He’s been playing JV. He’s been playing ODP for the last couple of years so he’s been getting the training and he’s been absolutely awesome for us. And with Harry [Lancaster] and Tyler [Treichler], they play solid, Harry’s been our MVP for the season.”

The Warriors continued its pressure and it resulted in another good bid. Barreira played Spinney wide but his shot just rolled wide at the far post in the 67th minute.

“I think that’s the difference from where we were at the beginning of the year to now is the pressure in the center of the park,” Franchino said. “We’re not letting teams play. It’s just getting the right mixture of the right players. Even our outside backs stepped up and our backline was pushing players on. We’re not just winning balls in the defensive third, we’re winning them in the attacking third and middle third which makes a huge difference. We just have to keep grinding.”

Attleboro had its best chance in the 70th minute when Joseph sprang Will Halbem in behind the defense but before he could uncork a shot in the area, Foxboro’s Shawn McNamara slid in and pushed the ball out for a corner kick.

Foxboro boys soccer (2-7-3, 1-7-3), which has earned at least a point in four of its last five games, will look to continue that trend when they travel to Sharon on Monday. Attleboro (5-3-4, 5-2-4) travels to Wrentham to take on Kelley-Rex leading King Philip the same day.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

09/27/2016

Wedneday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 09/28/16

Today’s games are selected.

Boys Soccer
Attleboro, 1 @ Franklin, 1 – Final – Ahijah Joseph gave Attleboro the lead with an 18th minute goal, an advantage the Bombardiers took into the halftime break. Franklin senior Hatim Brahimi found the equalizer in the 69th minute to level the scoring.

Canton, 3 @ Foxboro, 2 – Final – Canton sophomore Paolo Ruggeri scored in the final minutes of the came to complete the Bulldogs’ comeback. Foxboro’s Anthony Barreira and Jeff Melo scored goals in the first half as the Warriors took a 2-0 lead into halftime. But Canton senior Ben Waterhouse cut into the lead with a goal in the 52nd minute and sophomore Paul Corcoran tied the game in the 55th minute. Ruggeri was able to convert with under two minutes to play for the game winner.

King Philip, 2 @ Mansfield, 0 – Final – Sophomore Tony Bozza netted his first career goal in the opening minutes of the contest off an assist from Thomas Lugten and Lugten doubled the lead before the halfway mark of the first half to lead King Philip. Bozza used a one time finish off a pass from Lugten to put KP up 1-0 in the 2nd minute. Lugten then took a flick from Colby Koch and tucked his chance into the net from inside the area. KP head coach Nick Gale said his back four of Jack Bush, Cam Mullins, Ryan Coulter and Larsen Keys had a strong defensive game in front of goalie Eli O’Neill, who had a strong game against Mansfield’s set pieces.

North Attleboro, 0 @ Milford, 2 – Final – Pedro Sampaio netted a pair of second half goals to lead the Scarlet Hawks to their second straight win. Sampaio converted a penalty kick to put Milford up 1-0 and then carried possession across the edge of the area before firing in his second of the game.

Taunton, 0 @ Oliver Ames, 2 – Final – Joe Cerqueira and Nathaniel Cardoza each scored in the first half for Oliver Ames. James Gillespie assisted on Cerqueira’s goal and Chris Lawrence set up Cardoza’s goal.

Stoughton, 2 @ Sharon, 4 – Final – Sharon cashed in on a pair of corner kicks to build a 2-0 lead at halftime and converted on a free kick for a 3-0 advantage early in the second half. Andrew Reyes Jones opened the scoring, converting a corner from Michael Baur. Jeffrey Gao doubled the lead, finishing off another corner from Baur. Ben Stamm headed home a free kick from Ian Camilli to make it 3-0. Stoughton responded with a pair of goals with sophomore Fabio Ponce De Leon finishing a lofted pass from Tyler Melo coming first and Jordan Asnes finishing a cross from Goddy Fombe to make it 3-2. Camilli iced the game with his second point of the game with a strike from just outside the area to cap the scoring.

Girls Soccer
Franklin, 3 @ Attleboro, 0 – Final – Miranda Smith scored twice and assisted on the third goal for the Panthers. Jess Kroushl added a goal and an assist and Emily Mastaj had an assist for Franklin.

Foxboro, 0 @ Canton, 2 – Final

Mansfield, 5 @ King Philip, 1 – Final – Emma Oldow scored once and had two assists, Allee Bezeau netted a pair of goals and Emma Goulet and Steph Kemp each scored once and had an assist in Mansfield’s win. Avery Snead scored for King Philip.

Milford, 1 @ North Attleboro, 1 – Final – Milford converted a corner kick to pick up a tie on the road at North Attleboro. Nicole Dahlgren scored off of Maddie Boyle’s corner for the Scarlet Hawks. Milford head coach Jay Mastaj praised the two-way play of Ashleigh Starks and Maggie Boyle.

Oliver Ames, 3 @ Taunton, 1 – Final – Anna Tempestoso, Kiana Lozzi and Abby Reardon were the goal scorers for OA and Zoe Chazon added two assists for the Tigers. Samantha Tichelaar scored for Taunton.

Sharon, 11 @ Stoughton, 1 – Final – Sharon’s Alex Rabb registered her third hat trick of the season to lead the Eagles while Ally Filipkowski, Jessie Tarnoff and Amanda Klayman each scored two goals apiece. Ally Steinberg and Maxine Gordon each scored once for Sharon.

Volleyball
Mansfield, 3 @ Oliver Ames, 1 – Final – Mansfield picked up a 25-16, 20-25, 28-26, 25-19 win on the road at Oliver Ames. Olivia Broyles had nine blocks and four kills for the Hornets while Chloe Peters added 20 service points and Jess Haradon and Jacey Anderson combined for 20 digs. Oliver Ames’ Bridget McCarthy had 27 assists and five aces and Maya Fetcho added 11 kills.

Milford, 3 @ Sharon, 2 – Final – Sharon junior Jess Allan led the Eagles’ offense with nine kills and Cori Jermyn added seven kills.

Field Hockey
Attleboro, 3 @ Taunton, 0 – Final

Stoughton, 0 @ Canton, 3 – Final – Maggie Malloy accounted for all of the scoring in the game, scoring a hat trick to lead the Bulldogs.

North Attleboro, 0 @ Foxboro, 1 – Final – Jaclyn Brion scored the lone goal of the game with eight minutes remaining to earn Foxboro’s fifth straight victory.

Mansfield, 4 @ Oliver Ames, 6 – Final – Click here for a recap from the game. Click here for a photo gallery.

Milford, 3 @ Sharon, 1 – Final

King Philip, 1 @ Franklin, 1 – Final – Click here for a recap from the game.

Golf
Sharon, 181 @ Stoughton, 192 – Final – Max Avratin was the match medalist, shooting a low-round of 44 to lead Sharon. Cam Doherty and Zach Gay led Stoughton, both shooting a round of 47.

Taunton, 191 @ Milford, 154 – Final – Three Milford golfers broke 40 on the day to pace the Scarlet Hawks to the win. Ryan Tomaso carded a low round of 35 while Anthony Arcudi shot 38 and Tylor Renaud carded a round of 39.

Canton, 153 @ North Attleboro, 149 – Final – Four different golfers shot under 40 for the Rocketeers to edge Canton in a key Davenport division showdown. Robbie Congdon shot a 36, David Colasanti shot a 37 and Dylan Kane and Tyler Sinacola both shot 38 in the win. Canton’s Matt Minichiello was the match medalist, carding a low round of 35.

Cross Country
Boys
Sharon, 22 @ Canton, 33 – Final

Girls
Sharon, 15 @ Canton, 49 – Final

09/22/2016

Set Piece Goals Propel Mansfield Over Attleboro

Mansfield boys soccer — Mansfield’s Sam Hyland goes after a high ball into the box against Attleboro keeper Nicholas Hasenfus. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)

MANSFIELD, Mass. – Coming into Thursday night’s game at Alumni Field, Attleboro coach Peter Pereira warned his defense about the long throws of Mansfield senior defender Max Gurnon. He warned his defense that it is a major weapon for the Hornets and that they need to be prepared anytime Mansfield wins a throw anywhere near the attacking third of the field.

No matter how many warnings Pereira gave, it does not make it any easier for the defense to deal with Gurnon’s bombardment of throws. He assisted on the first goal and got credit for the third when it was headed home by an Attleboro defender. Gurnon created consistent havoc in the Attleboro penalty area and the Hornets took advantage to pull out a 3-0 victory.

“I told my kids to play them like a corner and we did the first one and there was no one at the post,” said Pereira. “They took it to us a little in the first half with those long throws. It’s better than a kick. You get it in there, a little header, and things happen.”

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Mansfield coach Steve Sheridan said, “We’re starting to cash in on his throw-ins, a lot better than we used to. We’re working on them. I’d like to see more goals from the flow of the game, but we’ll take them.

“If teams want to keep giving us these throw-ins then we’ll take them.”

The Hornets nearly had the perfect start when Sean Lanzillo chipped a pass over the top for Kevin Bouck in the first minute but the senior could not finish the chance, sending his shot over the bar. Attleboro had a quick response four minutes later when a corner was not properly cleared and Will Halben hit a near-perfect half-volley that smacked off the bar.

The rest of the first half was dominated by the Hornets with the ball constantly in the Attleboro half and Gurnon getting chance after chance to put a ball into the box from free kicks and throws. In the ninth minute, one of his throws paid dividends when it eluded everyone in the middle of the box, bounced on the far side, and was nodded into goal by Jackson Murphy at the far post.

At the midway point of the half, Mansfield doubled its lead. James Chotkowski lined up a shot from 20 yards out and forced Attleboro keeper Nicholas Hasenfus into a full stretch save. The resulting corner bounced off Brendan Sullivan to Sam Hyland on the edge of the box and he fired in his chance to make it 2-0.

“That was huge and it made them play with a little more urgency and allowed us to take more chances,” said Sheridan. “When we had the ball, we were able to get it up there and get some numbers forward.”

The Hornets were relying on Gurnon and Harry Braidt to hold down the center of the defense and limit the chances for Attleboro. The Bombardiers started pressing forward at the end of the first half and during the break Pereira urged his team to continue pressing the Hornets.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Just before halftime Colin Levis sent in a dangerous cross from the right but it went just over Halben inside the six and just missed the toe of Ahijah Joseph sliding in at the back post. The Bombardiers continued the push forward in the second half with Zach White becoming more influential in the midfield.

Mansfield had the opportunity to put the game away in the 55th minute when John Cooney escaped a challenge by Harry Lancaster and raced in clean on goal. Hasenfus (four saves) denied him with a slide and Hyland had his follow up cleared off the line.

A minute later the Bombardiers nearly cut the lead in half when freshman Nathan Laplumeflicked a pass into classmate Michael Russo, but, while the Mansfield defenders screamed for an offsides that was not forthcoming, Russo rolled his shot inches wide of the post.

“As far as soccer, second half we won a lot of balls, but up front I tried to put guys up there but we just weren’t able to finish,” said Pereira. “We picked up at the end of the first half and we carried it for about 30 minutes.”

Chotkowski nearly killed the game off with a header off a throw in the 64th minute and Cullin Anastasia also sent a header wide three minutes later. The Hornets finally put the game away with yet another throw by Gurnon. This one was headed into goal by an Attleboro defender with 12 minutes to play.

“The third one was the dagger,” said Sheridan. “It let me breathe a little bit easier…That’s probably the best game we’ve played from start to finish this year…all around, offensively and defensively.”

It was the fifth straight win for Mansfield (5-0-1), which stays unbeaten ahead of Monday night’s visit of Franklin. Attleboro (2-2-1) drops back to .500 with the loss and now faces a tough stretch beginning with Saturday’s visit of New Bedford followed by Franklin and Oliver Ames.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

09/19/2016

Tuesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 09/20/16

Today’s games are listed below.

Boys Soccer
King Philip, 1 @ Attleboro, 1 – Final – Tyler Mann gave the Warriors a lead in the second half but Ahijah Joseph equalized in the final ten minutes as KP and Attleboro finished level.

North Attleboro, 0 @ Canton, 2 – Final – Click here for a full recap.

Sharon, 1 @ Foxboro, 0 – Final – Ben Stromm headed home a corner with four minutes remaining in the game for the Eagles.

Mansfield, 3 @ Taunton, 0 – Final – Mansfield senior Max Gurnon opened the scoring with a heads up free kick, catching Taunton off guard with a free kick from midfield to put the visitors up 1-0 just seven minutes into the game. Just before the half hour mark, James Chotkowski headed in a throw in from Gurnon to give Mansfield a 2-0 lead at half. Jackson Murphy capped the scoring for Mansfield in the 65th minute, finishing off a free kick from Sam Hyland. Jed Tolbert made six saves in recording his second straight shutout for Mansfield.

Oliver Ames, 1 @ Franklin, 0 – Final – Click here for a full recap.

Milford, 2 @ Stoughton, 6 – Final – Click here for a full recap.

Girls Soccer
Attleboro, 0 @ King Philip, 5 – Final – Chloe Layne scored a pair of goals for the Warriors and Emma Corcoran had a goal and an assist. Avery Snead and Logan Greenberg also had goals for KP and Maddie Smith added an assist. Madison Brown made 12 saves for the Bombardiers.

Canton, 0 @ North Attleboro, 4 – Final – Ashlyn Gaulin and Haley Ferrin both scored a brace for the Rocketeers. Haley Guertin recorded a pair of assists and Rachel Labonte had an assist for North.

Foxboro, 4 @ Sharon, 1 – Final – Hailey Mailing scored a hat trick for the Warriors, lifting Foxboro to its first win of the season. Alex Rabb scored from the penalty spot for Sharon.

Taunton, 0 @ Mansfield, 4 – Final – Hannah Reiter scored a goal and recorded an assist for the Hornets. Emma Oldow, Emma Goulet and Bryn Anderson each scored a goal for Mansfield.

Franklin, 1 @ Oliver Ames, 1 – Final – Miranda Smith scored the opener for the Panthers and Lauren Wright tied it off a cross from Julia Roy for OA in the second half.

Stoughton, 0 @ Milford, 2 – Final – Kristen Franzini and Juliana France scored the goals for Milford and Hawks coach Jay Mastaj credited Nicole Dahlgren with a solid game on defense to keep a clean sheet.

Field Hockey
Foxboro, 3 @ Stoughton, 0 – Final – Kelly Fisher, Meredith Cronin, and Catherine Luciano scored the goals for the Warriors.

Oliver Ames, 0 @ King Philip, 0 – Final – King Philip peppered Oliver Ames but was unable to breakthrough as KP goalie Katie Vamosi stood tall. Vamosi came away with 14 saves on the day as she stifled KP’s attack (15 corners). OA head coach Abby Tepper also lauded the play of Dimitra Efremidis in the midfield.

Golf
Oliver Ames, 149 @ Mansfield, 172 – Final – Brady Allbritton shot a 34 at Norton Country Club to earn match medalist honors, leading OA to another win. Ryan McGarry added a 37 and Matt Kelley finished with a round of 38 for the Tigers. Brendan Loomer shot a team-low 41 for the Hornets.

Sharon, 176 @ Franklin, 156 – Final – Bryan Woelfel led the way for the Panthers, earning match medalist honors with a round of 38. Tyler Langevin and Matt Dao each finished with a round of 39. Corey Carter led Sharon with a round of 42.

Attleboro, 185 @ Taunton, 178 – Final – Mike Volkmann was the match medalist, carding a round of 37 to lead the Tigers; Justin Proto finished with a 38. Kyle DelSignore was Attleboro’s top finisher, carding a round of 44.

North Attleboro, 195 @ Canton, 194 – Final – In a battle of the top two Davenport teams, the match was forced to a fifth card and Canton emerged with a one stroke victory. Tommy Dimock led the way for the Bulldogs with a round of 37, Matt Minichiello and Danny Powers both shot 38 and Jackson Maffeo carded a round of 40. North Attleboro’s Dylan Kane was the match medalist, finishing with a round of 36 while Robbie Congdon shot a 37 and Tyler Sincola shot a 39.

Cross Country
Boys
Attleboro, 35 @ Mansfield, 24 – Final – Attleboro’s David Seybert won the race in 17:04 but Mansfield used its depth to get the team win. Kalin Petrov finished first for Mansfield – second overall – in 17:21 while Patrick Heavey finished third in 17:41. Collin Rice (18:06) and Kevin Crawford (18:09) finished fifth and sixth and Nick Rispoli was eighth overall in 18:19. Attleboro’s Alex Boedecker (17:43) was fourth and Garrett Gillard (18:12) finished seventh overall.

Canton, 36 @ Milford, 22 – Final

Franklin, 21 @ Taunton, 39 – Final

Sharon, 33 @ North Attleboro, 24 – Final

Oliver Ames, 21 @ King Philip, 37 – Final – Brent Schwartz won his second consecutive race to lead Oliver Ames past King Philip. King Philip’s Jack Angelo finished third and Mike Griffin was fourth.

Girls
Attleboro, 34 @ Mansfield, 23 – Final

Canton, 20 @ Milford, 39 – Final

Franklin, 20 @ Taunton, 39 – Final – Franklin placed a trio of juniors in the top four places, including the top two finishers, to beat Taunton. Nicole Clermont placed first in a time of 21:05 while Kate Hartnett was second in 21:13. Ella Gutkowski finished in fourth overall, clocking in at 22:08.

Sharon, 30 @ North Attleboro, 25 – Final

Oliver Ames, 31 @ King Philip, 26 – Final – King Philip grabbed the top two finishers and had four of the top six finishes to edge Oliver Ames. Erin Quinn won the race for KP while Lucy Hamilton finished second. Nina Sitarski and Leia Quinn clocked in at fifth and sixth overall. Liz Peckham and Caroline McCarthy led Oliver Ames with third and fourth finishes respectively.

09/10/2016

Treichler’s Late Goal Gives Attleboro First Win

ATTLEBORO, Mass. – As the final minutes of Saturday evening’s game between Attleboro and Canton ticked down, it looked as though the teams were destined for a scoreless draw.

But with just under six minutes to play, Attleboro senior Tyler Treichler got on the end of a set piece service and used his head to tuck the ball on the inside of the post and give the Bombardiers a 1-0 win in both team’s first game of the season.

Senior Harry Lancaster and Treichler teamed up throughout the game to stifle the Bulldogs’ offense while Canton center backs Danny Hartnett and Matas Leveckis limited Attleboro’s chances.

As the game ticked into the 75th minute, the Bombardiers earned a free kick near the corner flag. Junior Zach White played it short, only to get it back immediately. He drove a cross to the back post and Treichler was able to jump up in a sea of players and get his head to the ball, putting it just inside the post, making it nearly impossible to stop.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

“We’ve been sending the two guys from the back up for corners and set pieces because they can head the ball, so that paid off,” Attleboro head coach Peter Pereira said. “We have a good team and the kids are working hard, that’s what we we are. We’re young but we work hard.

“The freshmen are giving everything they have and that sets the tone for the other kids. We have a while to go though, this is most of the kids’ first ever game playing together because of the ages are so different. I was happy with the performance and of course the points are even more important.”

Each team had just once serious chance in the first half. Lancaster’s low free kick to the near post was deflected to freshman Michael Russo in the 8th minute, but his shot on frame went right at Canton goalie Abe Garber.

Canton nearly took the lead just seconds later off when Paul Corcoran took off down the right flank, centering a pass for Ben Waterhouse but Attleboro goalie Nick Hasenfus came off his line and just got in front.

The Bulldogs started off on the front foot in the second half, finding a chance in the 47th minute, Corcoran sent in a low cross to the near post, where Cole Duserick got a touch on but the ball spun just out of the reach for Waterhouse to get a clean shot and it slipped wide.

Attleboro had a chance midway through the second half when Devin Andre combined with Ahijah Joseph at the top of the area but Andre’s shot went over the bar.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Canton’s Jake Verille made a nice run in the 65th minute into the final third but his shot was saved by Hasenfus. Two minutes later, White played Connor Dunn wide and his cross was met at the far post by Nick Lawrence, bit his bid back across goal went wide. Lawrence’s shot three minutes later was stopped by Garber as well.

That led to Andre going for a 50/50 ball on the right sideline, earning a free kick just by the corner. That led to White’s service and Treichler’s winner.

“Attleboro played great, I thought they they had the territory in the first half. We actually had the possession in the first half but we kept the ball in our end so it didn’t do anything for us,” Canton head coach Danny Erickson said, also praising Attleboro’s defensive effort. “They were really dangerous, keeping the ball that first half. I thought we turned it around and had the ball down their end the whole second half, they had a couple glimpses and then they took advantage of a set piece and scored a really nice goal. I don’t think he was completely open, I thought we were on him but he scored a great goal. I thought we gave them a great fight in the second half though but it’s onto the next one.”

Attleboro’s defense was bolstered by Lancaster, who has made the switch from an attacking option to a center back for his senior year. It seemed anytime that Canton had something going in the final third, Lancaster was there to cause a problem.

“Harry is doing well for us. He was playing midfield but I felt like I needed someone back there,” Pereira said. “He’s got the speed, he’s got the experience. He’s covering for everyone back there. With Treichler next to him, he’s learning with Harry too. Then we rotate four sophomores in the wings and we’re hoping they’ll do the job.”

Attleboro boys soccer (1-0-0) will look to make it two in a row with a trip to Stoughton (0-1-0) on Tuesday. Canton (0-1-0) will be back in action on Friday when they travel to King Philip (1-0-0).

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

09/04/2016

Boys Soccer: 2016 Kelley-Rex Division Preview

By HockomockSports.com Staff

2016 Kelley-Rex Boys Soccer Preview

Attleboro

2015 Record: 4-10-3
2015 Finish: Missed playoffs
Coach: Peter Pereira

Attleboro is only returning three starters from last year’s squad but the Bombardiers are hopeful that its incoming players will keep them competitive in the Kelley-Rex this season.

Senior captain Harry Lancaster will anchor the back line, showing his versatility by playing yet another position in his fourth year on varsity. Senior captain Ahijah Joseph will see time at both forward as well as some time in the midfield, alongside junior Zach White, another returnee. Junior Nick Hasenfus will take over as the starting goalie while seniors Tyler Treichler and Nick Lawrence will also emerge as key contributors this season. Head coach Peter Pereira also expects to get contributions from underclassmen including sophomore Will Halben and freshmen Mike Russo and Nathan LaPlume.

“We will be a hard working team that should get better every game,” Pereira said. “I think we will surprise some teams.”

Franklin

2015 Record: 12-7-1
2015 Finish: Reached D1 South Quarterfinal
Coach: Fran Bositis

Franklin has some big holes to fill around the field but returning nearly a dozen varsity players is a good start. Around 10 returning players saw valuable varsity minutes last season and that is something the Panthers will rely on.

The Panthers have to find replacements for midfielders Austin Kent and Nick Parent, along with defender Dan Geraci and goalie Henri Guilmette. However, Franklin doesn’t need to find any replacements for its strikers with both Farley Asmath and Kevin Hall back this year. Hall was second on the team with seven goals a season ago and Asmath is speedy, strong player that could add a lot to the attack. Hatim Brahimi (five goals, three assists in 2015) is one of the top returning players in the league and will lead the midfield for the Panthers this season. Franklin’s defense will consist of a rotation of five or six players, including Wesley Kozil and Noah Scafati. Senior Joe Kroon and junior Fred Beckmann will battle for the starting goalie spot.

“We’ve got a bunch of great athletes that are pretty good soccer players that work really hard,” head coach Fran Bositis said.

King Philip

2015 Record: 8-8-3
2015 Finish: Reached D1 South Second Round
Coach: Nick Gale

The Kelley-Rex division title race expects to be a very contested one and King Philip looks like they’ll be right in the mix this season because of a strong balance of returning players.

Senior captains Cam Mullins and Ryan Coulter are returning to anchor the back line, which had a strong showing in 2015 with the fourth least goals surrendered in the Hockomock. Both have proved in the past to be reliable defenders, especially in the air against set pieces. Although the Warriors will have to replace the versatile Joe Kellett, KP has a handful of young players that saw valuable minutes on varsity and can make an impact this year. Tyler Mann will lead the attack, a year after scoring a team-high eight goals as a sophomore. Senior Colby Koch has shown his versatility in the past and will also be a factor for KP again this this. Juniors Connor Mullins, Larsen Keys and Mike Rowe also will be key players for the Warriors this season after each of them played meaningful minutes as sophomores.

“Our goal is to build off last year’s successes, continue to improve everyday, and compete hard,” head coach Nick Gale said.
“We know what we want, but we also know we have to earn it.”

Mansfield

2015 Record: 13-4-3 (Kelley-Rex Division Champions)
2015 Finish: Reached D1 South Quarterfinal
Coach: Steve Sheridan

The defending Kelley-Rex champions will look to try to win back-to-back league titles for the first time in program history and they have a large amount of returning players that could help accomplish that goal.

Captain Max Gurnon, a 2015 HockomockSports.com Best XI selection, returns for his senior campaign to anchor an experienced back line that allowed just 15 goals last season. While Mansfield must overcome the graduation of Chris Elsner, juniors Nick Hyland and Harry Braidt both started on the back line last year while sophomore Ethan Brill-Cass looks to be the final piece to the defense. Mansfield will have to find a replacement for goalie Mike Kirejczyk but head coach Steve Sheridan said senior Jed Tolbert and junior Nick Ferraz will battle for the starting spot.

“As far as our strengths go, our defense should be strong,” Sheridan said. “Losing [Chris] Elsner is a big loss, but Ethan [Brill-Cass] saw a lot of time as a freshman last season and learned a lot from Chris. I’m hoping our offense is much improved over last season.”

The Hornets finished fifth in the league in scoring last year and graduated its top four scorers. However, there is a group of attacking players back that saw plenty of minutes. Senior captain Brendan Sullivan will be a speedy option up top while classmates Kevin Bouck and Ryan Amaral will figure into the offense. Senior captain James Chotkowski will lead a midfield unit along with Jackson Murphy, Cullin Anastasia and Sean Lanzillo.

Oliver Ames

2015 Record: 18-0-3 (Davenport Division Champions)
2015 Finish: Division 2 State Champions
Coach: John Barata

Oliver Ames has had a target on its back for the last couple of years as they claimed four of the last five Davenport titles but after winning the program’s first ever Division 2 State Title last Fall, it’s bigger than ever.

The Tigers will have to replace two All-State players in Chris Romero and Keegan Nutt, as well as three seniors from their league-best defense last season. However, OA does return a good chunk of starters as well as experienced bench players from the state championship team.

Senior Thomas McCormick has been causing havoc for defenses for two years and will be relied upon to do so again this year. Nathaniel Cardoza, the 2015 HockomockSports.com Underclassman of the Year, will be back to control the middle of the pitch alongside Cam Vella, who showed his ability to get forward last season. Juniors Matt Campbell, Matt Alvarado, Jack Sheldon and Mason Galbato all saw time in the midfield last season and look to be contributors this year. Junior Jack Carroll is back in net again this year.

“We will try to be competitive this season and make another run at qualifying for the postseason,” head coach John Barata said. “Our path to the state tourney is extremely difficult this season as we join the Kelley-Rex. We look forward to a great season and hope to be in a position to qualify for the state tournament in late October.”

Barata noted that losing the back line, one that surrendered just 12 goals all season, will be a major challenge for the Tigers this season.

Taunton

2015 Record: 2-13-2
2015 Finish: Missed playoffs
Coach: Taylor Whitters

With a new coach at the helm in Taylor Whitters, the Taunton Tigers are looking to build a new foundation for years to come. Whitters, who was previously the boys freshmen coach, is hoping the Tigers can rise up to the challenge of the very talented Kelley-Rex division.

Two key returning players include sophomore Hasan Farahat and junior Daeshawn Duffie. Both players possess strong soccer skills and will be vital parts for Taunton both ways as they patrol the midfield. Senior Sean Crowley will be tasked with pacing the scoring for the Tigers while freshman Colton Madeira, senior Dan DeAndreade and junior Jake DeAndrade will all be factors as Taunton pushes forward. Junior Liam Crowley will factor into Taunton’s defense and sophomore Liam Crowley will play a role in Taunton’s midfield.

“We are going to rise up in our league with respect, integrity,encouragement, unity and pride,” Whitters said.