RallyNorth.net

Fluke goal prevents Fishermen from advancing

Thursday, November, 08 By Matt Langone
Sports editor

As regulation ended in yesterday's Division 1 North quarterfinal soccer match between sixth-seeded Gloucester and third-seeded Lexington, you got the feeling that the contest was destined to be decided by either penalty kicks or a fluke goal.

Call it terrific defense or call it failed scoring opportunities | the game featured plenty of both, but after 90 minutes, both teams hadn't found the back of the net and approached a second 10-minute sudden death overtime period.
Something had to give, and unfortunately for the Fishermen, it was indeed a fluke goal at their expense.

After a fierce attack on Gloucester goalie Dom Braga (12 saves) through the first overtime, Lexington finally broke through with the game's only goal two minutes into OT No. 2. Minutemen midfielder Rami Sleiman emerged from a scramble in front of the Gloucester net, then struck a poor shot off a rebound that was misfired, but ricocheted off a Gloucester player and into the net for the Golden Goal.

"Lexington brought a lot of guys forward and we were having trouble keeping our marks on the weak side," said Gloucester head coach James Cook, whose team finished the season at 13-4-2. "They were able to slip the ball over to the weak side and we had to chase it."

Minutemen (16-1-3) head coach Dan Rudolph was happy to earn the W and move on, but knew his team caught a very fortunate break.

"We got very lucky on the goal," Rudolph said. "It was a mis-hit. I was pretty sure that this game was going to penalty kicks."

Needless to say, Fishermen players, especially the seniors, were dejected after the game. However, despite the defeat, the Gloucester players have no reason to hang their heads. The Fishermen had plenty of scoring opportunities, particularly in the first half, against the Minutemen, who were the Middlesex League champions during the regular season and were the strongest team that Gloucester had seen all year.

Gloucester hit the post with shots twice in a span of seven minutes early in the first half, and seemed to have early control of the game. Sean Reardon fired a blast of the left post and later Shane O'Neill crushed a free kick off the cross bar from 25 yards out.

The Fishermen also displayed a nice counter-attack offense, kick-started by strong defensive play form their back line. But Gloucester had trouble adjusting to the fast-paced turf field and were not crisp enough on passes near and in the Lexington 18-yard line to capitalize.

"We definitely tried to take advantage on some counter attacks and keep them on their toes," Cook said. "I thought Shane (O'Neill), Theon (O'Neill) and Nick (LoCoco) did an excellent job in the midfield and they really had to serve as our engine.

"But as the game progressed, our ability to sustain pressure was weakened by not having as deep of a roster as Lexington."

Rudolph also praised the Fishermen for presenting such a challenge.

"Gloucester has a lot of talent," said Rudolph, whose team will face Framingham in the Division 1 North semifinals next. "The O'Neil brothers are incredible players and the whole team is tough and very athletic. We were very fortunate not to give up a goal early. The game could've easily gone the other way."

Despite the missed opportunities, Cook felt that his team was able to bounce back and not think about what could've been during the contest, a true credit to the heart of the Fishermen squad.

"None of our kids really took it to heart," Cook said. "They turned around and kept playing. I have had kids in the past that dwell on those things. Of course you do get a little nervous when you miss those chances in a game like soccer, with so few chances. I knew that eventually Lexington would wake up and start playing better."

Additional stories:

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