RallyNorth.net

Gloucester falls to powerful Lexington, 2-1 in double overtime

Thursday, November, 08 By Rich Slate
Staff writer

After 80 minutes of regulation, nothing separated Gloucester and Lexington in the Division 1 North quarterfinal.

After 10 minutes of overtime, the score was still knotted at zero. However, a few minutes into the second overtime, the Middlesex League Champions from Lexington (16-1-3) scored the sudden death tally after a scramble in front of the Fishermen goal. For Gloucester (13-4-2), it was a bitter end to such a grueling contest and another highly successful season (second straight NEC South title).

"Lexington threw a lot of guys forward and we were having trouble marking on the weak side," said Gloucester head coach James Cook about the Minuteman goal. "They slipped it over to the weak side and from that point on it was just about us chasing after the ball. (Goalkeeper) Dom Braga came up with some big saves earlier that one just eluded us."

Playing on an artificial turf field and in front of a partisan Lexington crowd, Gloucester came out hard in the first half. Fishermen senior midfielder Shane O'Neill put a shot over just five minutes in.

Gloucester's bad luck at finishing started in the ninth minute as senior striker Sean Reardon hit the post after collecting a free kick. Senior midfielder Theon O'Neill put the rebound wide.

Lexington had its first good chance in the 14th minute when junior striker Diego Garcia had his shot blocked in the 18 by a Fishermen defender.

Again, the woodwork proved to be Lexington junior goalkeeper Zack Abdu-Glass' (5 saves) best friend and Gloucester's worst enemy, as Shane O'Neill's free kick from outside the box, bounced off the top of the crossbar and harmlessly over.

The first half action was end-to-end as the Minutemen and Fishermen traded golden opportunities. Lexington had a shot deflect wide, while Theon O'Neill had a breakaway end with his shot going just wide.

Lexington used an attacking style from the back to create chances. Gloucester's forwards and midfielders in turn were exhausted by the end of the game from chasing the Lexington fullbacks and midfielders.

"They had skilled guys in a lot of areas but we were able to keep them off their game and take advantage of counter-attacking," Cook said. "I thought Theon, Shane and Nick (LoCoco) did an excellent job in the midfield, taking responsibility for various amounts of time. They had to be our engine."

The Minutemen almost found the back of the net in the 46th minute as they shot over from in close. A few minutes later, Gloucester junior fullback Jeff Amero cleared the ball out of the defensive box. Theon O'Neill had the last quality shot of regulation as he ripped a blast around the Lexington goal.

Cook lauded the play of the O'Neill brothers and LoCoco. "It's probably the best game Theon has ever played for Gloucester," said Cook. "He was all over the place. I was very proud of Shane, he was fighting a calf injury. Nick did a lot of defensive work, taking one of their best players out of his game."

Braga (12 saves) was the star of the first overtime period as he made two great saves to keep his team alive. After only two minutes, Lexington junior midfielder Rami Sleiman popped open near the Fishermen goal and hit a shot that deflected off a Gloucester defender and into the net.

"I couldn't be prouder of the way they fought and stuck together," stated an emotionally spent Cook. "There were times that Lexington was able to break us down with their skill but we didn't turn on each other and start yelling. We understood that everybody was trying and adjusting to the style and surface and they kept pulling for each other." Lexington moves on to face Framingham (17-1-2) in the Division 1 North semi-finals.

Additional stories:

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