Tag: Ryan Coulter

Tuesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 04/11/17

Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Canton, 0 @ King Philip, 9 – Final – Junior Jeremy Rhines tossed a complete game shutout to earn the win for the Warriors. Rhines allowed just three hits while striking out nine batters. The Warriors’ offense came to life with 12 hits. Will Weir, Patrick Limerick, Ryan Coulter, and David Morganelli each had multiple hits.

Franklin, 2 @ Taunton, 5 – Final – Taunton jumped out to an early lead, scoring four runs in the first inning and never looked back. The Tigers added another run in the fourth inning. Sophomore Jack Moynihan tossed a complete game, striking out six without issuing a single walk. He allowed seven hits with just one earned run. At the plate, Moynihan went 2-for-3 with an RBI while Matt Machado added two hits, Joe Manchester had a double and an RBI and Christian Simoes hit a home run.

Softball
King Philip, 6 @ Canton, 0 – Final – King Philip sophomore Faith Turnese tossed a complete game shutout in her varsity debut, allowing just two hits while striking out six batters. Meghan Gorman had three hits for the Warriors, including a two-run home run. Jess Bonner added a two-run double for King Philip.

Stoughton, 17 vs. Brockton, 6 – Final – Gina Carafa took over in the circle in the fourth inning with the Black Knights trailing 6-4 and held Brockton scoreless over four innings of work with nine strikeouts. She also drove in what turned out to be the game-winning run with a triple. Jordan Lyons went 2-for-2 with three runs scored and three RBI. Nikki Coppola, Shannon Flaherty, Taylor Levine, and Carafa all had multi-hit games for Stoughton.

Boys Tennis
Franklin, 2 vs. Hopedale, 3 – Final

Girls Tennis
Franklin, 1 @ Taunton, 4 – Final

Boys Lacrosse
Foxboro, 13 @ Taunton, 0 – Final

Girls Lacrosse
Taunton, 4 @ Foxboro, 17 – Final – Lauren Flahive led the way for Foxboro with four goals, while Caroline Boudreau and Meghan Curran each had hat tricks. Foxboro got goals from nine different players. Delaney Powell scored a pair of goals for the Tigers, while Abbey Kingman and Alana Tavares each had one.

Boys Track
Attleboro, 89 @ King Philip, 47 – Final
Canton @ North Attleboro, 3:45
Taunton, 53 @ Mansfield, 83 – Final
Stoughton, 44 @ Milford, 91 – Final

Girls Track
Attleboro @ King Philip, 3:45

Canton @ North Attleboro, 3:45

Taunton, 71 @ Mansfield, 65 – Final – For Mansfield, sophomore Alexis Kiyanda ran amn outdoor PR in the 200, taking 2.5 seconds off to run a 26.8. Junior Madison Haughey won the high jump and qualified for states with a jump of 5-1 and also placed second in the hurdles. Junior Sophia Madonna won the discus while senior Julie Romano won the two mile. Mansfield also won the 4×100 relay (Olivia Horn, Julia Harrison, Angela Corkery, Amanda Mangano) and the 4×400 relay (Caitlin Whitman, Mikaela Maughn, Cassidy McMahon, Emma Oldow).

Stoughton, 56.66 @ Milford, 79.33 – Final

Monday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 04/10/17

Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
King Philip, 8 @ Attleboro, 0 – Final – King Philip broke open a close game with six runs in the seventh inning to pick up a win on the road at Attleboro. The Warriors took the lead with two runs in the second inning but didn’t breakthrough again until the top of the seventh. In the top of the second, Ryan Coulter singled, stole second and then scored on a base hit from Chris Wing. Wing came across to score on a double by Patrick Limerick. Wing got the win on the mound for the Warriors, tossing a complete game with six hits allowed. The senior struck out eight batters in the win. In the seventh inning, Will Weir tripled in Kyle Guenthner, Weir came across on a single from Ben Furfari, Collin Cooke knocked in Furfari with a base hit and Jack Webster and Cooke scored on a double from Wing. Attleboro’s Tyler McGovern tossed five solid innings for the Bombardiers with two runs allowed.

North Attleboro, 11 @ Canton, 2 – Final – North Attleboro scored a pair of runs in each of the second and third innings and really created separation with a five-run fifth inning. Big Red added single runs in the sixth and seventh innings. Junior Nick Sinacola had a standout performance, both at the plate and on the mound for the Rockteers. He tossed six innings, scattering five hits with just one walk allowed while striking out eight. At the plate, Sinacola went 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles, a triple, a run scored and three RBI. Kyle McCarthy added two hits, two runs and two RBI, John Brennan had a pair of hits and Zach DeMattio hit a solo home run.

Oliver Ames, 0 @ Franklin, 1 – Final – Franklin emerged from a pitcher’s duel with a 1-0 win, scoring the lone run in the bottom of the sixth inning. Franklin lefty Jason Ulrickson went the distance, tossing a complete game shutout with just four hits allowed. He walked just one batter while striking out three. Ulrickson also had a solid day at the plate, going 2-for-3. Oliver Ames sophomore Tom Parker also had a strong performance, going five-plus innings with just three hits against and two walks. The sophomore struck out a pair while allowing just the one. Franklin senior Ryan Hodgkins scored the lone run of the game, coming home on a sacrifice fly to right field from Josh Macchi. The Panthers had a strong game defensively, led by sophomore shortstop Alex Haba, who had eight putouts.

Mansfield, 0 @ Taunton, 2 – Final – Junior Tyler Medeiros shined in his first start of the season, striking out four while allowing just three hits and one walk in six scoreless innings. Trevor Pietrzyk and Danny Keogh (save) combined for a scoreless seventh inning to close the game. Taunton junior Joe Manchester singled in the fourth inning and came around to score after an errant pickoff attempt and a misplay in the outfield. Taunton tacked on a second run in the fifth. Billy Emerson singled, advanced to second on a sacrifice by David Schofield, advanced to third on a single from Matt Machado and scored on a single to left field from junior Jacob Crawford. “Tyler threw the ball exceptionally well today,” said first year head coach Blair Bourque. “He threw strikes and let his defense make plays for him. After the first inning he really settled in. He was mixing his pitches up and hitting corners.” Mansfield’s Nolan Dousa struck out six in six innings of work, scattering six hits. Max Boen had two hits for Mansfield.

Milford, 0 @ Stoughton, 15 – Final (5 inn.) – For the second time in three games, Stoughton’s offense has reached double figures in hits and runs scored. The Black Knights belted 16 hits while coming across to score 15 runs. Stoughton senior Justin Hutchinson (3-for-4 at the plate with a double, two runs and an RBI) got the win on the mound, tossing four shutout innings with just two hits and one walk allowed, all while striking out seven batters. Sophomore Evan Gibb (2-for-3, three RBI, run) tossed a scoreless 1-2-3 fifth inning with a pair of strikeouts. Also hitting well for the Black Knights were Ruben Gonzalez (3-for-4, three runs, RBI, three stolen bases), Jack Connelly (2-for-2, double, home run, three runs, three RBI), Pat Hagerty (2-for-3, triple, RBI, three runs), Nick Hardy (2-for-3, double, run, two RBI), Matt Hadley (triple) and Ryan Sullivan (run, RBI).

Softball
Attleboro @ King Philip, 3:45

Canton, 0 @ North Attleboro, 21 – Final (5 inn.) – Bella Erti was perfect through five innings to pick up the victory for North Attleboro, striking out five of the 15 hitters she faced. Olivia Capobianco went 4-for-5 and Liz Morehouse went 3-for-4 for North. Also for the Rocketeers, Meg Barlow, Amelia Murphy (3-for-3 on the day), and Stephanie Inglese each had two-run homers.

Franklin, 13 @ Oliver Ames, 2 – Final – Franklin turned a 2-0 deficit into a big lead, plating 10 runs in the fourth inning and then adding three more runs in the sixth inning. Ally Shea had a hit and knocked in two runs for the Panthers while Meg Caron and Olivia Haba each knocked in three runs. Sophomore Emily Valentino tossed a complete game, striking out one to earn her first varsity win.

Taunton, 5 @ Mansfield, 0 – Final – Courtney Fisher went the distance for the Tigers, tossing a three-hit shutout with six strikeouts. Hannah Aldrich went 2-for-3 at the plate and scored a pair of runs for Taunton, while Jaime Brown had a pair of hits and Kya Enos drove in a pair of runs. Sarah Cahill made her first varsity start for the Hornets and went five innings, allowing just five hits.

Stoughton, 2 @ Milford, 10 – Final – The Scarlet Hawks broke the game open with a five-run third inning, turning a one-run deficit into a lead. Jess Tomaso (3-for-4, double, six RBI) had a three-run homer run and three batters later, Kelley Reichert (2-for-4) had a two run single to put Milford up 5-1. Shannon Cormier drew three walks and came around to score each time for Milford. Reichert got the win in the circle, tossing a complete game with five strikeouts.

Boys Lacrosse
Attleboro, 17 @ Stoughton, 4 – Final

Canton, 6 @ Scituate, 12 – Final – The Bulldogs finally played their first game of the season, but fell on the road to a tough Scituate team. Sophomore Mike Shaw led the Bulldogs with three goals and one assist while Kevin Albert added three asses. Ryan Lodge scored a pair of goals, Dan Cohen netted one tally and Nick Allen chipped in with two assists. Freshman Jack Connolly played with in goal in his first varsity game, making 12 saves.

Franklin, 7 vs. BC High, 8 – Final

King Philip, 8 @ Bishop Feehan, 7 – Final – King Philip overcame a plethora of penalties to edge out Bishop Feehan. The Warriors were down a man for over 16 minutes in the game but a great defensive effort and a stellar performance from Paul Macrina in goal helped KP hang on. Macrina made 16 saves in net while first year head coach Jamie Stefanini said Michael Curtain, Connor Khung, Zach D’Amico (goal), Wes Bishop and Garrett Maxwell all played outstanding. John DeLuca scored a pair of goals for KP while Tim Watson had one goal and two assists, Colin DeVellis had one goal and one assist and Ben Palmer and Robert Tartagulla each scored once.

Oliver Ames, 4 @ Silver Lake, 5 – Final – Oliver Ames shut out Silver Lake in the fourth quarter and scored three unanswered goals but fell just shy of completing its comeback against the Lakers. Senior Liam Brown, juniors Owen Gallagher and Eric LeBlanc and freshman Shane Kikelly each scored once for OA.

Girls Lacrosse
Foxboro, 7 @ Walpole, 8 – Final – Sophia DiCenso and Caroline Boudreau each scored hat tricks for the Warriors and Meghan Curran added one. Freshman goalie Sara Addeche made six saves, as Foxboro held the defending Div. 2 state champions scoreless in the second half.

King Philip vs. Bishop Feehan, 4:00

North Attleboro, 8 @ Mansfield, 4 – Final – Katie Lindstrom, Erin Holley and Kenzie Rosenberg each scored two goals for the Rocketeers and goalie Kayla Moulin made 12 saves in the win.

Milford, 19 vs. Bellingham, 5 – Final

Oliver Ames, 7 @ Whitman-Hanson, 9 – Final – Emalyn Duvall recorded a hat trick and Sofia Masciarelli found the back of the net twice but the Tigers fell on the road at Whitman-Hanson. OA goalie Ari Waldorf made 14 saves for the Tigers.

Boys Tennis
Attleboro, 0 @ King Philip, 5 – Final – Cole Ginter didn’t drop a game at first singles, the team of Ryan Gemelli and Sam Collela did the same at first doubles and KP won all five matches in straight sets to beat Attleboro. Ginter won 6-0, 6-0 at first while brother Blake Ginter won 6-1, 6-0 at second singles. Martin Martous won 6-0, 6-1 at third singles for KP. Gemelli and Collela won 6-0, 6-0 at first doubles while Jake Webster and Marco DiStefano won 6-0, 6-1 at second doubles.

Canton, 1 @ North Attleboro, 4 – Final – North Attleboro dominated in both doubles matches and took wins at second and third singles to pick up a win over Canton. Senior Barsomo Nuay win 6-2, 6-3 at second singles and junior Alex Rinaldi won 6-1, 6-3 at third singles. The team of senior Daniel Zhang and junior Ben Pfeffer won 6-0, 6-0 at first doubles and senior Andrew Harris and Vikram Senthilakumaran won 6-1, 6-0 at second doubles. Canton junior Jake Wolicki won 6-1, 6-4 at first singles for the Bulldogs’ lone win.

Franklin, 5 @ Oliver Ames, 0 – Final – Franklin’s Tony Calderone and Dan Angermeier both made their varsity debuts, teaming up at second doubles and won in straight sets without losing a single game. The pair won 6-0, 6-0 at second doubles while the team of James Johnston and Derek Wu won by the same score at first doubles. Rahul Herur won 6-2, 6-2 at first singles, Eli Brooks won 6-1, 6-1 at second singles and Rohan Herur won 6-0, 6-2 at third singles.

Taunton @ Mansfield, 3:45

Stoughton, 0 @ Milford, 5 – Final

Girls Tennis
King Philip @ Attleboro, 3:45

North Attleboro, 5 @ Canton, 0 – Final – North Attleboro’s Emily Chiasson and Jordan Willis each won in straight sets without dropping a game to pace the Rocketeers. Chiasson won 6-0, 6-0 at first singles while Willis won with the same score at second singles. Kate Ovoian won 6-3, 6-1 at third singles. The team of Gabby Duva and Azka Siddiq won 6-1, 6-1 at first doubles while Katie Demontigny and Hana Hershey won 6-2, 6-0 at second doubles.

Oliver Ames, 2 @ Franklin, 3 – Final – Franklin junior Hailey Strier rallied back after dropping the first set, winning the second set 7-5 and then winning the tiebreaker, 10-8, to secure the win for the Panthers. Franklin also got wins from senior Hannah Sweeney (6-0, 6-0 at first singles) and senior Anja Deric (6-1, 6-3 at second singles). Oliver Ames swept doubles play as Tori Wyman and Kristin Bloumbas won 6-2, 7-5 at first doubles and freshmen Tate Hadges and Maura Kiernan won 6-1, 6-2 at second doubles.

Mansfield, 0 @ Taunton, 5 – Final – Taunton won all five matches in straight sets with Jillian Pagliuca taking the win at third singles without losing a game (6-0, 6-0). Olivia Sweeney won 6-4, 6-2 at first singles, Jordan Pagliuca won 6-2, 6-0 at second singles, Emily Moor and Ashleigh Eason won 6-2, 6-4 at first doubles and Callie Herbert and Jordan Martin won 6-2, 6-1 at second doubles.

Milford @ Stoughton, 3:45

Boys Volleyball
Milford, 3 vs. Nipmuc, 1 – Final – Milford picked up its third win of the season, beating Nipmuc 25-21, 25-20, 16-25, 25-19. Outside hitter Jack Winship had 18 kills and 18 digs, middle Joao Boaventura had 10 kills, 11 digs and four blocks and setter Danny Zwonik finished with 37 assists, a block and an ace.

Taunton, 3 vs. Durfee, 1 – Final – The Tigers defended home court with a 25-20, 25-16, 14-25, 25-21 win over the Hilltoppers on Monday. Lens Esquil had eight kills, three blocks and an ace, Lance Law had seven kills, a block and an ace, Collin Hunter added five kills, two blocks and two aces and David Fusiecki had six digs, two blocks, two kills and an ace.

Monday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 04/03/17

Today’s games are listed below. We will update this post with any changes we receive.

Baseball
Attleboro, 9 @ Canton, 4 – Final – Attleboro senior Tyler McGovern tossed four-plus innings with just one hit allowed, striking out six to earn the win. Sophomore Troy Van Vliet paced the offense, connecting for a pair of doubles, knocking in three runs and scoring two runs of his own.

Franklin, 5 @ North Attleboro, 1 – Final – Five different Panthers recorded a hit and junior Jake Noviello shined in his season debut on the mound to lead Franklin past North Attleboro. Noviello tosses six inning, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out seven. Bryan Woelfel struck out two in a shutout inning in relief. Noviello also recorded a hit and scored a run on offense. Sophomore Alex Haba went 1/3 with a double, two RBI and a run scored, senior Cam Lupien added a hit, a run and an RBI, senior Josh Macchi had a double and a run scored and senior Jake Lyons had an RBI and a hit for the Panthers.

Milford, 2 @ King Philip, 4 – Final – King Philip senior Chris Wing tosses six innings, allowing just a pair of hits while retiring the side in order in each the second, fourth, fifth and sixth innings. Sophomore Jack Webster recorded the save. Offensively, the Warriors notched eight hits as a team with Collin Cooke (RBI) and Ryan Coulter each recording two. Ben Furfari knocked in a pair of runs and Webster also had an RBI.

Stoughton, 2 @ Oliver Ames, 6 – Final – Oliver Ames scored a pair of runs in both the third and fourth innings while tacking on single runs in the first and sixth innings to open the season with a win. Junior Matt Muir went 2-for-4 with a pair of triples and a pair of runs scored while senior Kyle Gagliardi was 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI. Sam Burr earned the win on the mound, scattering six hits over 6.1 innings with two runs allowed.

Sharon @ Taunton – Postponed to Friday, April 21 at 11:00AM.

Softball
Attleboro, 7 @ Canton, 5 – Final

Franklin, 1 @ North Attleboro, 2 – Final – North rallied from a run down in the bottom of the seventh inning to open the season with a win. Sam Courtemanche led-off the inning with a double. Ashley Cangiano came in to run and scored on an Abbie Gallagher grounder. With the bases loaded, Meg Barlow (2-for-3) provided the walk-off hit with a double. Bella Erti threw a complete game for North with four strikeouts and five hits allowed.

King Philip @ Milford – Postponed to Friday, May 5 at 3:30.

Oliver Ames, 0 @ Stoughton, 6 – Final – Gina Carafa threw a five-hit shutout for the Black Knights, striking out eight and only walking one. Alessandra Loffredo provided Stoughton with offense from the nine-hole, hitting a two-run homer in the sixth. Victoria Ziner went 2-for-2 and reached base three times for OA.

Sharon, 0 @ Taunton, 19 – Final (5 inn.) – The Tigers got off to a dominant start behind three, one-hit innings and six strikeouts from Courtney Fisher, who also went 3-for-3 with an RBI. Jamie Brown went 3-for-5 with a double, triple, and an RBI and Kya Enos, Jaylin Couto, Hannah Aldrich, and Rebekah Lajoie each had two hits apiece for Taunton. Lajoie drove in four runs.

Boys Lacrosse
Attleboro, 6 @ Oliver Ames, 5 – Final (2OT) – Zach Thomas scored his second of the game with less than a minute to play to tie the game and junior Alex Banner netted the game-winner in double overtime to lift the Bombardiers past OA. Cam Littig added a pair of goals for Attleboro while senior Andrew Milliken scored once. Banner, Seth Lombardy and Zach Viau each notched an assist as well. Sophomore Trevor Koppy made 14 saves in net for the Bombardiers, who battled back from a 3-1 deficit at halftime. Head coach Kevin Koppy credited the play of defensemen Jim Nordberg, Matt Potter, Chris Reynolds and Tyler Koppy for holding the Tigers to just two goals in the second half. For Oliver Ames, Eric LeBlanc scored a pair of goals while Owen Gallagher, Jack Lang and Colin Bourne each scored once.

Foxboro, 17 @ Norwood, 2 – Final

North Attleboro, 7 @ Bishop Feehan, 6 – Final (OT) – North Attleboro senior Colin Young scored his lone goal of the game in the overtime period to lift the Rocketeers. Tommy Lindstrom netted a hat trick while Zach McGowan added a pair of goals and one assist and Jack Dakin notched three assists. Nick Moore scored once and set up Young for the game-winner. Dan McDonald had 13 saves in the cage for Big Red.

Sharon, 6 @ Westwood, 10 – Final

Taunton, 3 vs. Norton, 12 – Final

Girls Lacrosse
Oliver Ames, 16 @ Attleboro, 2 – Final – Eight different players found the back of the net as Oliver Ames cruised to a non-league win on the road. Kendall Clifford accounted for five goals while Sofia Masciarelli scored our and Liv Piazza had three goals. Ariana Waldorf recorded 13 saves in goal for the Tigers.

Canton, 6 @ Mansfield, 19 – Final

Foxboro, 16 vs. Norwood, 4 – Final

Franklin, 13 vs. Lincoln-Sudbury, 7 – Final – Franklin built a 6-3 lead by halftime and then continued its strong offensive showing in the second half. Sophomore Annie Walsh and freshman Erin Walsh each scored goal goals apiece and Caroline Lounsbury added a pair for the Panthers. Dana Lewandowski played well on defense with three ground ball and freshman Gianna Cameron made nine saves in net.

Sharon, 19 @ Milford, 6 – Final

Taunton, 16 vs. Norton, 8 – Final – Delaney Powell scored six goals and Alana Tavares added five for the Tigers, who opened the season with a non-league win. Annie Tate and Abbey Kingman both had hat tricks for Taunton and Lorna Li had 12 saves.

Boys Tennis
Attleboro, 0 @ Canton, 5 – Final

Mansfield, 3 @ Foxboro, 2 – Final

Franklin, 4 @ North Attleboro, 1 – Final – Senior Rahul Herur and freshman Rohan Herur each won in singles while while the Panthers swept doubles in a victory over North. Rahul Herur won 6-3, 6-1 at first singles while Rohan Herur took third singles, 6-1, 6-1. The team of James Johnstone and Derek Wu won 6-3, 6-1 at first doubles and Tyler DiPalma and Saketh Saripalli won 6-2, 2-6, 6-1 at second doubles. North Attleboro’s Barsomo Nuay won 6-4, 6-1 at second singles.

King Philip, 5 @ Milford, 0 – Final – An experienced King Philip team opened the season with a sweep on the road at Milford. Cole Ginter won 6-0, 6-0 at first singles, Martin Martous won 6-0, 6-2 at second singles and Blake Ginter took third singles 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. Ryan Gemelli and Sam Colella teamed up for a 7-5, 6-4 win at first doubles and Jake Webster and Marco DiStefano took a 6-4, 6-0 win at second doubles.

Oliver Ames, 2 @ Stoughton, 3 – Final – Stoughton got wins at first and third singles as well as first doubles to earn the program’s first win in two seasons. Senior Stevens Bontemps won 6-2, 6-3 at first singles and sophomore Alex Bernstein picked up a 6-3, 6-4 win at third singles. The team of senior Jon Podesta sophomore Erik Anderson clinched the win with a 6-2, 7-5 win at first doubles. Oliver Ames junior Joseph Lorizio won 7-5, 6-1 at second singles and Greg Mueller and Michael Souza won 6-4, 2-6, 10-6 at second doubles for the Tigers.

Taunton, 0 @ Sharon, 5 – Final

Girls Tennis
Canton, 2 @ Attleboro, 3 – Final – Attleboro picked up wins at first and second singles and another at first doubles to edge Canton. Torey Lussier won 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 at first singles while Brianna Aronne won 6-1, 6-2 at second singles. The team of Taylor Palermo and Merri Piazza came back to claim a 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 win at first doubles. Canton’s Jamie Cree won 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 at third singles and the team of Stelina Michaelidis and Kiki Karavas won 6-2, 6-3 at second doubles.

Foxboro, 4 @ Mansfield, 1 – Final

North Attleboro, 4 @ Franklin, 1 – Final – North Attleboro didn’t drop a game at either second singles or first doubles while also getting victories at third singles and second doubles. Jordan Willis won 6-0, 6-0 at second singles and the team of Gabby Duva and Azka Siddiq won with the same score at first doubles. Shurobhi Nandi won 6-1, 6-2 at third singles and the team of Katie Demontigny and Hana Hershey won 6-1, 6-0 at second doubles. Franklin’s Hannah Sweeney won 6-0, 6-1 at first singles.

Milford @ King Philip, 3:45

Stoughton, 1 @ Oliver Ames, 4 – Final – Oliver Ames swept singles play and also got a win at second doubles to earn the win over Stoughton. Sarah Leger won 6-0, 6-3 at first singles, Claudia Ferrara won 6-2, 6-1 at second singles and Mandi Miller swept third singles 6-0, 6-0. The team of Kristin Bloumbas and Olivia Groebe won 6-2, 6-1 at second doubles. Stoughton’s Alex Soto and Amanda Gallant won 4-6, 7-5, 6-0 at first doubles.

Sharon, 5 @ Taunton, 0 – Final – Sharon didn’t drop a single game in singles play and also won both doubles matches to get the sweep. Sophomore Nupur Shukla, freshman Emily Zhang and junior Lulu Yuan all won 6-0, 6-0 at first, second and third singles, respectively. The team of juniors Katie Merport and Emily Wen won 6-4, 7-5 at first doubles while junior Rithic Neti and sophomore Sophia Fein won 6-1, 6-1 at second doubles.

Boys Volleyball
Milford, 3 vs. St John’s Shrewsbury, 1 – Final

Taunton, 3 @ New Bedford, 0 – Final – Taunton notched its second won of the season with a 26-24, 25-18, 25-17 win on the road over the Whalers. Lance Law led the way with 10 kills, four aces, six digs and one block while Lens Esquil had nine kills and two blocks and Nate Grant had 30 assists, three kills and a block.

2017 Hockomock Baseball Preview

2017 Hockomock Baseball Preview

By HockomockSports.com Staff

2017 Hockomock Baseball Preview

Attleboro

2016 Record: 13-10
2016 Finish: Reached D1 South Semifinal
Coach: Matt Bosh

Coming off a great run in the state tournament a year ago, the Attleboro Bombardiers will be looking for a repeat performance in 2017. This year, instead of relying on just one or two pitchers, Attleboro will trust the depth of its pitching staff to get things done on the mound.

Senior Tyler McGovern will be the anchor of the staff while classmates Matt Callahan, Dylan Maskell and Tyler Davis will also factor in on the mound. Juniors James Weir, Drew Pagano, Erik McCormick and John Candiales, along with sophomore Eoin Hammel-Kelleher could all see innings on the mound as well.

Callahan will also see time in the field at shortstop while Weir looks to be a reliable option at first base. Matt Marguerite will patrol the outfield while Steve Hamerski, Tyler Davis, Drew Pagano, Sam Larkin and Alex Whittingham are all likely candidates for spots in the outfield as well. Head coach Matt Bosh said there is a lot of internal battles for most positions.

“Every year brings new challenges and elements,” said head coach Matt Bosh. “The biggest difference from last year I think is the depth of the pitching staff. While last year we were top heavy with Nate and Tyler, this year I think we have more guys that can compete and spread the wealth in eating up innings. But we’ll see how that plays out. The Hock will be tough, like always”.

Canton

2016 Record: 11-11
2016 Finish: Reached D2 South Quarterfinals
Coach: Greg Digirolamo

First year head coach Greg Digirolamo likes what he sees from his Bulldogs so far, but the challenge has been finding some grass to play on. Heading into the first week of the season, the weather has prevented the Bulldogs from getting to play outside yet.

Nonetheless, there are some experienced varsity players that will likely factor in right away for Canton. Junior outfielder Matt Casamento might be the most experienced player of the returnees but seniors Jackson Maffeo, Danny Hartnett, Kevin Monagle, Tommy Kilduff and Matt Crandall are all likely to factor in during the season.

A trio of juniors will be Digirolamo’s go-to for pitching to start out the season. Ryan White, Austin Maffie and Rob Wilkenson are all likely to see a lot of innings as the season gets underway.

“It will take the first couple weeks of the season for me to know what we have from a talent perspective,” Digirolamo said. “I will tell you, it only took a week of tryouts to find out I have a good group of kids. They work hard and they’re eager to learn. As a first year coach, that’s all I can ask for right now.”

Foxboro

2016 Record: 8-13
2016 Finish: Reached D3 South Preliminary Round
Coach: Chris Sullivan

Foxboro will be looking to get back to the postseason again this year and will rely on its starting pitching and experience to get there.

Hockomock League All Star Aaron Wentling is back on the mound while Colin Thoener – who missed nearly all of last season – is healthy and ready to produce on the mound. Steve McLaughlin, who has some varsity experience, will also get starts on the mound for the Warriors.

There aren’t many players more experienced at the varsity level than catcher Jesse Galanti, who enters his fourth year as a starter and third as captain for Foxboro. Outfielders AJ Bubencik and Cam Feldman have also played a lot of games at the varsity level and will be counted on to lead the way for the Warriors along with infielder Chad Bearce.

“This group has been through a lot of adversity both on and off the field and has shown a ton of resiliency,” said Foxboro head coach Chris Sullivan. “At this point, nothing really fazes these guys they just keep showing up ready to play every day.”

Franklin

2016 Record: 13-10
2016 Finish: Reached D1 South First Round
Coach: Zach Brown

Between Franklin’s pitching staff and its lineup, there is a lot of experienced players with success at the varsity level ready to go this season.

After relying on a trio of sophomores on the mound last year, all three are back ready for strong junior campaigns. Jake Noviello and Jason Ulrickson logged a lot of innings are starting pitchers while Bryan Woelfel emerged as one of the best bullpen options in the league. Now they are poised to be one of the top starting rotations in the league.

“We are optimistic that the three of them will give us a chance to have a solid rotation this season and be competitive in every game,” said Franklin head coach Zach Brown. “All three guys are very different but all of them are competitive.”

Offensively, Franklin brings back outfielders Ryan Hodgkins (.388) and Jake Lyons (.368) along with first baseman Josh Macchi (16 RBI) and catcher Tyler Gomes (16 RBI). While there are spots to fill left by talented seniors that graduated, having those four back is a very good sign for the Panthers.

King Philip

2016 Record: 15-6
2016 Finish: Reached D1 South First Round
Coach: Pat Weir

It’s going to be a challenge for King Philip to replace three all-star caliber pitchers in one season, but head coach Pat Weir and his Warriors are ready to try.

Jake Cavanagh, Jack DiCenso and Jon Rolfe are all pitching at the collegiate now after helping guide the Warriors to a Kelley-Rex title a season ago. This season, Stephen Murray and Chris Wing are back as two of the more experienced arms available for Weir. Will Weir, known for his bat and defensive play at shortstop, could also emerge as an option on the mound.

Will Weir is also one of the key bats back for King Philip, along with senior centerfielder Ryan Coulter. Both had impressive seasons as juniors and will be relied to lead the way in 2017 for KP.

“I’m hopeful we can improve on yesterday and compete today, all we ask is all you got,” said head coach Pat Weir.

Mansfield

2016 Record: 9-11
2016 Finish: Missed playoffs
Coach: Joe Breen

After just missing out on the postseason a year ago, there is a lot of optimism for the 2017 Hornets squad. With two top pitchers and a solid lineup returning, there’s plenty of reasons to be optimistic.

One main reason is the return of senior pitcher Nolan Dousa, who missed last year after undergoing Tommy John surgery. After a standout sophomore campaign, Dousa had to watch last season from the dugout. With Dousa on the self, sophomore Tyler Dalton emerged as the team’s ace, giving the Hornets a great 1-2 combination for 2017.

Offensively, the Hornets bring back shortstop Max Boen – one of the team’s top hitters a season ago – along with senior outfielder Zach Peterson, who led the team in runs last year, and senior infielder Aidan Cahill.

“We look to combine the experience of our senior class with the ambition of our underclassmen to create a competitive team for the upcoming season,” said head coach Joe Breen. “Our goal is to be the hardest working, most passionate high school baseball team in the state and let the pieces fall where they may.”

Milford

2016 Record: 8-12
2016 Finish: Missed playoffs
Coach: Paul Pellegrini

Milford will be looking to get off to a better start in 2017 after a slow one a year ago played a big part in the Scarlet Hawks missing out on the postseason.

The good news for head coach Paul Pellegrini is that he has the majority of his impactful players back this season. Senior Alex Macek really impressed after missing the beginning part of the season with injury and could be one of the top pitchers in the league this season. Tylor Renaud also provided quality innings a year ago.

Aidan Wilde has been one of the top players in this league for two years yet he’s only a junior this season. Not only is he very good defensively, he’s one of the toughest at-bats in the league and will certainly be a spark plug for the Hawks. Expect senior Anthony Arcudi and sophomore Alex Coady to be contributions this season as well.

North Attleboro

2016 Record: 7-13
2016 Finish: Missed playoffs
Coach: Paul Tobin

The Rocketeers will boast a young squad, but not one that lacks in talent. After graduating 13 seniors last year, Big Red will rely heavily on the players they do have returning this season.

The strength of the squad will be up the middle of the field, starting senior captain Kyle McCarthy in centerfield, senior captain John Brennan patrolling shortstop and junior Zach DeMattio – and his big bat – manning the catcher position. From there, each spot is open for competition according to head coach Paul Tobin. Matt Iaconis and Peter Cohen are competing for time at third while Nick Crawley, Aidan Harding, Billy Drummond, Jackson Billingkoff and Nick Sinacola are all batting for infield spots.

Nick Sinacola, Nathan Pearce, Aidan Harding and Matt Iaconis are all candidates to form Big Red’s starting rotation while Peter Cohen, Ryan Prince and Ryan Pasquel are likely to see time out of the bullpen.

“We are talented but inexperienced, so there will be some learning and growing to go through,” said head coach Paul Tobin.

Oliver Ames

2016 Record: 11-11
2016 Finish: Reached D2 South First Round
Coach: Joe Abarr

Oliver Ames has a lot of players back from a year ago and first year head coach Joe Abarr believes that should translate into a potent lineup for the Tigers.

2016 HockomockSports.com Underclassman of the Year Matt Muir will be captaining the team as a junior and will make the transition from second base to shortstop. He will likely fill the leadoff role for Oliver Ames and will also see time on the mound. Senior Sam Burr is also a team captain, will be the team’s number one starter and also man first base for the Tigers.

Sophomore third baseman Chris Pearsons is back after making some noise during his freshman year and senior Kyle Gagliardi will bring a lot of experience while he patrols center field for the Tigers. Michael Mulrean will see a lot of time on the mound again this year and sophomore catcher Jake Erlich will look to give the Tigers a boost after transferring from Xaverian this year.

“We should hit this year with lots of players with power potential,” Abarr said. “Our pitching staff is very deep with an abundance of arms available from day to day. The challenge will be writing the right lineup. We have a solid infield with underclassmen that should be able to get comfortable in their positions over the next couple of years.”

Sharon

2016 Record: 2-18
2016 Finish: Missed playoffs
Coach: Kee Arguimbau

The Eagles had a lot of young pieces a year ago and will be looking to take the next step in 2017. Leading the way will be two three-year varsity players in captains Jake Marglous and Aiden Arnold.

Marglous will be back behind the plate for another season while Arnold, one of the top power hitters in the league, will be back at first and also be an option to come in to pitch in relief situations. Other returning Eagles with varsity experience include Jake Teven, Danny Emerman, Jason Hertz, Ben Schwartz, Drew Naisuler, Ben Stamm, Brad Zongetti and Spencer Singer.

Max Tarlin had a very strong season as a sophomore a year ago and will be at the top of the rotation as a junior this season. Sophomore Noah Kamens also picked up some valuable varsity time a year ago and will be a top option for Sharon this season.

“Our strength will be in the experience we have in our pitching staff,” said head coach Kee Arguimbau. “We’re looking forward to the season behind the leadership of our captains, Jake Marglous and Aiden Arnold.

Stoughton

2016 Record: 16-7
2016 Finish: Reached D2 South Semifinals
Coach: Mike Armour

There aren’t many teams in the area that have the luxury of returning their top three pitchers, but the Black Knights of Stoughton do.

Justin Hutchinson, Ryan Sullivan and Nico Parmeggiani are all back after stellar junior seasons on the mound, putting Stoughton is a good position to start the season. Luke Johnson will also see time on the mound, adding another experienced arm for the Black Knights.

Jack Connelly is back at first base after a breakout junior season, Ruben Gonzalez will shift over to take over at shortstop while Matt Hadley and Michael Batte will both see time in the infield as well. Both Hutchinson and Sullivan will see time in the outfield when they aren’t pitching while Pat Hagerty and Nick Hardy are back as well. Johnson and sophomore Evan Gibb will battle for the starting catcher spot.

“We have a lot of experience returning, with 10 seniors on the roster, and look forward to competing in the always tough Hockomock League,” said head coach Mike Armour.

Taunton

2016 Record: 14-7
2016 Finish: Reached D1 South First Round
Coach: Blair Bourque

While there is a new coach in the dugout for the Tigers, there will be a lot of the same faces on the field for Taunton in 2017.

Blair Bourque takes over the reigns for the Tigers, who also lost league MVP Luke Figueira to graduation. However, Matt Machado and Joe Manchester are back in the outfield, Jacob Crawford is back in the middle infield, Jimmy Hoye is back and ready to take over as starting catcher, and Danny Keogh and Jack Moynihan return as two experienced pitchers.

With the battle for the number one pitcher open, Keogh and Moynihan will be the main two options to begin the season.

“Both of these guys saw success last year pitching at the varsity level and we are looking to continue and build on that success,” Bourque said.

Machado, one of the top defensive players in the league, had a breakout junior season at the plate and will look to be one of the top offensive producers again this season. Manchester shined in his sophomore season and will give the Tigers some power in the middle of the lineup. Crawford is easily one of the best defensive infielders in the league and Hoye will look to prove he’s one of the top catchers.

The 2016 Hockomock League Boys Soccer All Stars

Below are the official 2016 Hockomock League Boys Soccer All Stars, selected by the coaches in the league.

Hockomock League MVP

Tyler Mann, King Philip

Hockomock League All Stars

Harry Lancaster, Attleboro
Nick Hasenfus, Attleboro
Paul Corcoran, Canton
Jake Verille, Canton
Anthony Barreira, Foxboro
Jeff Melo, Foxboro
Hatim Brahimi, Franklin
Farley Asmath, Franklin
Colby Koch, King Philip
Tyler Mann, King Philip
Cam Mullins, King Philip
Eli O’Neill, King Philip
Max Gurnon, Mansfield
Nick Hyland, Mansfield
James Chotkowski, Mansfield
Marcello Panno, Milford
Pedro Sampaio, Milford
John Brennan, North Attleboro
Nathaniel Cardoza, Oliver Ames
Thomas McCormick, Oliver Ames
Matt Campbell, Oliver Ames
Ben Stamm, Sharon
Shalin Patel, Sharon
Loubensky Lucus, Stoughton
Tyler Melo, Stoughton
Daniel DeAndrade, Taunton

Honorable Mentions

Zach White, Attleboro
Griffin Roach, Canton
AJ Bubencik, Foxboro
Connor San Clemente, Franklin
Ryan Coulter, King Philip
Jed Tolbert, Mansfield
Danny Mendoza, Milford
Mason Galbato, Oliver Ames
Andrew Reyes-Jones, Sharon
Jordan Asnes, Stoughton

King Philip Reigns Supreme In Battle of Division Leaders

King Philip boys soccer
King Philip’s Cam Mullins (in front of #2) heads in his second goal of the game against Sharon. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
ByRyanLanigan_2016FollowRyanLanigan_2016
 
 
 
WRENTHAM, Mass. – In a battle of division leaders, King Philip reigned supreme with a dominating performance and a convincing 5-0 win over Sharon.

The Kelley-Rex division leading Warriors netted a pair of first half goals a minute apart and then tacked on three more goals in the second half to take down the Davenport division leading Eagles.

“I have to give major props to my midfield,” King Philip head coach Nick Gale said. “I thought Connor [Mullins] had an awesome, awesome game. Our goal was to build up through our midfield whenever possible and Connor’s a huge cog to that. And he had three assists today. He was a major factor today in our success today.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

“I thought our ability to keep possession against obviously a good, first-place Davenport team, our guys tried to meet that challenge. I told the guys we had to start to focus on what we do well and to do it consistently. I thought our possession game was phenomenal and they built it up really well and created a lot of opportunities in the final third.”

Mike Rowe registered the first shot of the game, his tough angle shot by Sharon keeper Ethan Kantorin the 4th minute. A nice sequence between Tyler Mann and Anthony Bozza in the 13th minute resulted in another save from Kantor at the near post. Thomas Lugten latched onto a shot in the 21st minute but Kantor notched another save.

“I thought a lot of our offense had to do with Colby [Koch], Lugten and Bozza starting to build a lot of chemistry together,” Gale said. “I don’t know what the shot totals were but I thought we attacked their goalie quite a bit. I thought the guys did an awesome job start to finish.”

Finally in the 29th minute, the Warriors broke through. Connor Mullins dropped a corner kick onto the six yard box that Kantor dove out and got a paw to off the bounce. The ball went right to Cam Mullins, who buried it with his head for a 1-0 lead.

Exactly a minute later, Connor Mullins played a ball over the top to senior Colby Koch. Koch took a touch and blasted a shot from just inside the area to double King Philip’s lead in the 30th minute.

“One goal makes a huge difference in a game, for the opponent as well as for you,” Gale said. “Once we scored one, I don’t know it was a burden lifted but I think it was a self-belief they could go out there and have that success. Right off the bat, they were hungry for a second one and I think we scored within two minutes. You obviously like to see that, since you build a first half lead. It helps set the tone.”

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Sharon’s first chance came in the 34th minute when Oliver Hu‘s touch beat charging KP keeper Eli O’Neill but senior defender Ryan Coulter cleared it away before any harm could be done.

The Warriors took advantage of another corner in the 52nd minute with the Mullins’ brothers linking again. Connor’s service found the head of Cam, who looped his header to the far post and under the bar to make it 3-0.

Less than 10 minutes later, junior outside back Larsen Keys was first to a 50/50 ball and his touch turned into a perfect through ball. Mann ran onto the ball alone and buried his shot at the far post to put King Philip up 4-0.

“Going into the latter half of the season and into the tournament, you have to balanced team,” Gale said. “You have to be able to score in the run of play and off of set pieces, whether it be a long throw, a direct kick or corner. We have the size to take advantage of them but we haven’t done it a ton yet this year so it was nice to see a couple of set pieces work out for us today.”

King Philip capped the scoring in the 76th minute, cashing in on another set piece. Cam Mullins’ service from midfield found the head of Coulter at the far post but Kantor made an acrobatic save to keep it out. However, the rebound fell to Cameron McGovern, who tucked his shot into the side netting from close range to make it 5-0.

“They’re extremely disciplined,” Sharon head coach Bryan Kelly said of KP. “They know where they are supposed to be at all times, they know where each other are and they use one, two touch passes. It’s stuff we’ve been working on the last few weeks. We haven’t played since last Wednesday and then we had two days off this week for the Jewish holidays, we can’t practice then – that really hurts. It’s tough to get the game mentality back. I’m not going to take anything away from KP. My guys didn’t step up today.”

King Philip boys soccer (11-0-1, 9-0-1) now has a four point lead in the Kelley-Rex division and will travel to North Attleboro for a league match on Thursday. Sharon (4-3-2, 4-3-2) hold a one point lead in the Davenport division and will return to action on Monday when they host Norwood for a non-league contest.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

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

Strong First Half Helps King Philip Snap OA’s Streak

King Philip boys soccer
King Philip junior Larsen Keys scores his first goal of the season in the first half against OA. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com
ByRyanLanigan_2016FollowRyanLanigan_2016
 
 
 
WRENTHAM, Mass. – It’s no secret that if you want a chance at beating a top team in the state, you have to play a near perfect game.

King Philip scored a pair of goals in a flawless first half, kept Oliver Ames at bay for the first 20 minutes of the second half and held of a furious charge at the end to pick up a 2-1 win over the Tigers. KP’s win snapped Oliver Ames 25-game unbeaten streak that spanned the entire 2015 season and the start of this year.

“It was all on the players, it wasn’t any coaching changes,” King Philip head coach Nick Gale said. It was a simple elevation in energy and focus. These guys are coming off back to back games, it’s their sixth game in 14 days, so they thoroughly exhausted and they emptied the tank today, with whatever they had left. That’s probably the best first half we’ve played this season. It was hard to find anything wrong with it.”

The Warriors had full control in the first half, with the majority of possession and chances. KP was content to keep possession in its own third but worked nicely into the midfield and into the final third to create chances.

The first chance came in the 6th when Jack Bush found Colby Koch, whose cross was touched to Tyler Mann in the center of the area, but his shot was deflected wide. Two minutes later, Thomas Lugten and Koch combined for a 1-2 but OA goalie Ben Kemp stopped Lugten’s point blank shot.

OA’s best chance in the first half came in the 18th minute when junior Cam Vella was able to find some space at the top of the area but his shot flashed wide.

King Philip continued the pressure and was able to breakthrough in the 26th minute. Bush, from his outside back position, was able to get up field and had time on the ball. He picked out Koch with a perfect pass and Koch used a class one-time finish with his left foot to find the back of the net to put the Warriors up 1-0.

Koch clanked the post with a shot from just inside the area in the 32nd minute but less than a minute later, the Warriors doubled the lead. Mann, who was dropped deeper in a midfielder role rather than his normal striker spot, lifted a perfect ball over the top of the defense, finding a streaking Larsen Keys – KP’s other outside back – and the junior calmly finished one on one with the keeper to make it 2-0.

“We got two points coming from outside backs, which is phenomenal.” Gale said. “It was something we thought they were going to take away from us but we found a way to get around it and get some points. The thing I was most proud of in the first half was our focus on finishing, which is something that against a phenomenal team I thought we were going to struggle with and we found a way to get it done. I’m proud as hell of my guys.

“Tyler had a phenomenal ball on the backside to Larsen and Larsen did what he’s done in the past and he finished it. He picked his spot nicely and finished it from 20 yards out. Jack Bush’s cross, he picked out Colby and it was an absolute class shot. We found a way to get it done which is the most important thing against one of the best teams in the state.”

Oliver Ames amped its pressure up to start the second half. After Mike Rowe had his shot in the 48th minute saved by Kemp for KP’s first chance of the second half, Oliver Ames’ Thomas McCormick registered the Tigers’ first scoring chance of the second half, but his shot hit the crossbar and stayed out.

Ten minutes after McCormick hit the bar, Oliver Ames had another chance in the 69th minute when Matt Campbell’s corner found Vella, but his header was saved by KP keeper Eli O’Neill, who went full stretch to get the stop.

The Tigers finally broke through in the 75th minute, as Campbell played James Gillespie in alone on goal and the junior finished to pull OA within one.

OA kept the pressure up the final five minutes, but KP’s defense was able to clear off the danger.

“They cashed in on two chances, which is what they wanted to do and they were successful.” Barata said. “We have a lot to work on but we’re young, we’re figuring it out, it’s still a young season. I think we’re in a good position. I think the last 20 minutes – if that’s how we play, I think a lot more teams will be concerned about playing us. Right now they’re not because we’re soft but we’re young, I’m not too worried about it.

“It will be nice for us to get another chance at them at home. I think it will be a little bit different. But we’ll see how it goes – they are a very good team, and today the better team won.”

Gale’s decision to drop Mann into the midfield paid big dividends as the junior paired with classmate Connor Mullins to help the Warriors control the midfield. Meanwhile, KP’s center back pair of Ryan Coulter and Cam Mullins helped the Warriors keep possession along with Keys and Bush.

“I told our guys before the game that whoever could win the midfield would win the game today,” Gale said. “I dropped Tyler back in there to kind of complete it. I wasn’t sure what they were going to do to try and take Tyler out of the game either but Tyler is such a versatile player we could drop him in the midfield to solidify it. I thought at least in the first half, we definitely played better in the midfield and I think that showed. Tyler was a big impact player for sure.”

King Philip boys soccer (6-0-1, 4-0-1) moves into a tie with Mansfield for first place in the Kelley-Rex division. The Warriors will be back in action on Monday when they host Taunton. Oliver Ames (3-1-1, 3-1-1) will try to bounce back the same day with a trip to Attleboro.

Defense Leads The Way As King Philip Beats Feehan

King Philip's Zac White (8) watches as his shot finds the back of the net for the lone goal. (Jaron May/HockomockSports.com
King Philip’s Zac White (8) watches as his shot finds the back of the net for the lone goal. (Jaron May/HockomockSports.com

By Jaron May, HockomockSports.com Student Reporter

WRENTHAM, Mass. – Defense wins championships and that was the mentality of the King Philip Warriors on Thursday afternoon as they hosted a talented Bishop Feehan team.

In the end, the defense and Zac White’s second half goal were the big reasons King Philip came away with a 1-0 win over the Shamrocks.

The Shamrocks came out fast and aggressive and looked for their offense very quickly. They attacked the ball and tried to exploit the cracks in the defense, but King Philip did the job in closing those gaps and playing good team defense.

KP head coach Nick Gale noticed his defense’s hard work and had nothing but praise for them.

“It was one of their best games, the back four played amazing,” Gale said.

The back four, made up of Cam Mullins, Ryan Coulter, Larsen Keys, and Jack Bush, proved why they are one of the strongest defenses in the Hockomock. Although they did allow ten shots on goal, they were able to minimize and shut down many of the opposition’s attacks, with Bush thwarting a handful of Feehan opportunities.

Senior Eli O’Neill had a strong game in goal behind the back four. O’Neill, who has only played three varsity games in his career, looked like a veteran in net, stopping 10 shots and influencing a handful more.

“Eli had his best game today,” Gale said. “He was smart and very vocal.”

The Warriors spent most of the game on the defensive side of the ball, but when they advanced it, they took advantage of their opportunities.

In the 23rd minute, there was a glimpse of hope followed by a crash of disappointment. Bush fired from about 25 yards out and his shot seemed to be going right over the goalie’s head into the back of the net, but at the very last second, Feehan’s goal rose up and just got a fingertip on it.

KP’s offense kept pounding away at the Feehan defense and finally broke through in the 47th minute. The ball bounced around from Warrior to Warrior and ended up at Tony Bozza’s feet in the left corner. He centered the ball to a wide open White, who tapped it right over the outstretched Bishop Feehan goalie for the sole point of the game.

When asked, Gale made it a priority to point out that both Bozza and White are sophomores who have very bright futures and will be able to lead the team in the upcoming years.

After the King Philip goal, Feehan became even more aggressive on offense and had some late game pushes. The Warrior defense stood strong though and didn’t allow any attacks to get too far.

With the win, King Philip improves to 3-0 overall. The Warriors will try to ride this momentum into their next game against Canton on Friday afternoon.