Bad break dooms Hendricken in semifinal loss

Eric Rueb
Posted 11/11/14

It was the type of play you see in every soccer match during the season.

Ball is controlled in the box, three players converge, ball gets kicked, deflected and usually comes out squirting …

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Bad break dooms Hendricken in semifinal loss

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It was the type of play you see in every soccer match during the season.

Ball is controlled in the box, three players converge, ball gets kicked, deflected and usually comes out squirting sideways.

So when North Kingstown's Austin Degregory spun around Hendricken's Alex Leite and took a step toward the goal, Leite continued to defend and teammate Gianfranco Paterno came in to assist, the direction the ball took was a surprise to all.

Leite and Paterno made an attempt to clear at nearly the same instant and the ball shot toward the left corner of the Hendricken net, getting past Alex Amado who never saw the shot coming. It was nine minutes into Saturday's Division I semifinal at East Greenwich High school and the goal hung on the board as a reminder that it wasn't the Hawks' day. North Kingstown added a second goal midway through the second half and held off a furious attack for the 2-1 win, ending Hendricken's best season since 2009.

“Today wasn't our day,” Hendricken coach Michael Rooney said. “The bounces didn't go our way. It was an unfortunate goal, the first one, but all credit to North Kingstown. They were a good team.”

“Obviously NK played the better game,” Hendricken goalkeeper Alex Amado said, “but I'm not sure I should even say that.”

The loss isn't on the shoulders of any of the players involved.

Once Degregory made his move, Leite and Paterno had one objective – clear it out. Amado may have been able to come out and make a play, but if he whiffed there would have been trouble.

With Degregory about to get a foot on it, there was no time for the defenders to think. Leite got there a half-step ahead of Paterno, who came in late trying to keep the ball away from Degregory. Leite got his foot on the ball first, but it wasn’t enough.

“I couldn't see much. I kind of got blocked out,” Amado said. “It was my fault that I didn't come out and get the ball. I put Alex in a tight position.”

What is known is the ball made it from Leite's foot into the goal, leaving Gregory and his teammates running to midfield for a 1-0 lead.

A goal like that can be debilitating for a team. It can decide matches, as Hendricken found out in the quarterfinals when South Kingstown had an own goal that won it for the Hawks.

Up 1-0, North had the momentum and the cushion to switch its style from being on the attack to playing defensive soccer. The Skippers weren't giving up a goal unless they made a horrible mistake and teams that make it to the semifinals rarely make those.

Down 1-0, Hendricken had to chase a goal. And that leads to a disadvantage defensively, which allowed NK's Zach Cook to get lose and make it 2-0 with 26:38 left in the match.

“We had to push forward and when you push forward,” Rooney said, “you're going to give opportunities for the other team to score.”

With their backs to the wall, the Hawks could have packed it in. Instead, they nearly fought their way to the final.

After the goal, Rooney inserted freshmen Chukwudi and Chukwuma Onyejose back into the lineup. The twins were noticeably absent at the start of the first half, a time where the Hawks could have used a spark.

“We've got two really good forwards in Lucas [Gesmundo] and [Brennan] Bica. Bica was causing havoc up there,” Rooney said. “They bring something different to the game and they're seniors and deserve to be starting.”

The impact of the twins was immediate. Their playmaking skills – as well as the Hawks putting three on the attack – allowed Hendricken to go on some solid runs and 10 minutes later, Brennan Martin nearly slipped a header off a corner for a goal.

Shortly after, Chukwudi Onyejose converted a similar play past the outstretched arms of Antonio Varrecchione, whose diving saves prevented at least four Hendricken goals.

Amado was no slouch either. The senior turned away what should have been two goals in the first half in an effort that you'd expect from a senior in the biggest game of his career.

“We're playing for each other,” Amado said. “We're a family and that's what we do.”

Hendricken had a pair of attempts in the final 10 minutes and it woke the Skippers up. North had an insurance goal turned away on a field save by John Edgar with 6:30 left and Cook missed wide inside a minute. When the clock struck zero the Skippers celebrated, leaving the Hawks in piles on the turf.

For a program that everyone in Division I wants to beat, the wins haven't followed until this season. The semifinal appearance was Hendricken's first in five years and with a slew of underclassmen finding out what winning is like, it shouldn't take long for the Hawks’ next semifinal berth.

So while it was tough news to take, the season as a whole wasn't a loss.

“There was a lot of doubt,” Amado said. “A lot of teams didn't think we'd make it.”

“No one really thought we would go as far as we did,” Rooney said. “It's been a very successful year, the kids were great, they worked hard and they're a really good group to coach.”

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