Kevin Pomeroy

Hawks easily cruise past Townies, set sights on big second half

Posted 10/7/14

It could have been even more lopsided than it was, but the biggest takeaway for the Bishop Hendricken soccer team in its 2-0 win over East Providence on Friday was that it played yet another solid …

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Kevin Pomeroy

Hawks easily cruise past Townies, set sights on big second half

Posted

It could have been even more lopsided than it was, but the biggest takeaway for the Bishop Hendricken soccer team in its 2-0 win over East Providence on Friday was that it played yet another solid game.

The Hawks got a first half goal from Chukwuma Onyejose and a second-half tally from Alex Appolonia off a corner kick, all the while out-shooting the Townies 9-3 in shots on goal. Hendricken had plenty other shots that sailed just wide or high, as it won its second straight game to improve to 4-2-2.

The previous day, Hendricken beat Barrington 1-0 thanks to a goal from Brennan Martin.

Just through the halfway point of the season, the Hawks have very few complaints, as they’ve competed with some of the division’s top teams, won a few hard-fought games and taken care of business against the lower-echelon clubs.

Hendricken is in seventh place in Division I with 14 points, though it’s only two points back of fourth place.

“I’m very happy,” said Hendricken head coach Mickey Rooney. “I think this team still has a way to go. We work every day and we’ll just keep on plugging away at different things and see what happens.”

Beating the Townies looked likely almost from the opening whistle, even if the score didn’t necessarily reflect it. East Providence had the first chance of the game, as Ryan Costa got loose in the box and fired a shot to the left that Hendricken keeper Alex Amado had to dive to save. After that, the Townies never had another realistic chance.

The Hawks were so firmly in control that in the second half, Amado didn’t even touch the ball – outside of goal kicks – until the 77th minute.

“We were flat for the first 10 minutes and then we started controlling the game,” Rooney said. “It could have been a few more, but it wasn’t. A win’s a win.”

Hendricken put shot after shot near the goal in the middle portion of the first half, with Lucas Gesmundo, Appolonia, Martin and Onyejose all getting good looks that they couldn’t quite convert.

With 2:56 to play, the Hawks finally got on the board. Chukwudi Onyejose sent a pass from the middle just outside the box on the left. The ball bounced high and keeper Nathan Silveira charged out towards it, with Chukwuma Onyejose coming from the other direction. Onyejose got their first, volleying it just over the hands of the Silveira and into the net for a 1-0 lead.

“Each of the guys know there’s a role that they have to play,” Rooney said. “We try to get as many people in there as we possibly can, but it just gives us great options. We’ve got speed, we’ve got physicality, we’ve got skill. It’s a matter of finding the right combination.”

The Hawks took their one-goal lead into the half and then came out intent on giving themselves a little breathing room. They couldn’t punch one home in the first 10 minutes, but were able to make it 2-0 in the 51st minute.

On a corner kick from the left, Gesmundo sent a low, hard ball to the near post. Appolonia moved from the middle of the box and charged toward the ball, catching the East Providence defense off-guard with a header that beat Silveira to the near post.

The goal was Appolonia’s first of the year, and 11 different Hawks have now scored. Even with five players out due to injury on Friday, finding at least some offense wasn’t a problem.

Hendricken’s 24 goals on the year is fourth in D-I.

“This team is a very well-balanced team,” Rooney said. “It’s a very talented, well-rounded team. We’re fortunate in that way.”

The second goal was more than enough for a Hendricken team that continued to assert itself. It had six more corners during the game, compared to just one for the Townies.

Hendricken has six games left in the regular season, beginning today when it hosts 3-3-2 East Greenwich at 6 p.m. It has only two teams on its remaining schedule that are ahead of it in the standings – La Salle and North Kingstown.

The Hawks will also be at Cumberland Saturday at 2:30 p.m.

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