Wizards standouts too much for Pilgrim

Posted 9/11/14

The Pilgrim boys’ soccer team knew heading into Tuesday’s match-up with West Warwick that the Wizards’ success is predicated on the work of a select few players.

Focused on taking those …

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Wizards standouts too much for Pilgrim

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The Pilgrim boys’ soccer team knew heading into Tuesday’s match-up with West Warwick that the Wizards’ success is predicated on the work of a select few players.

Focused on taking those players out of rhythm, the Pats held West Warwick scoreless for 45 minutes. But talent eventually won out.

The Wizards got two goals from Cameron Price and another from Ryan Johnson to pull away in the second half and win 3-0. West Warwick also got dazzling play from senior Michael Faria, who assisted on one of the goals, and Chris Peixoto, who assisted on the other two.

That small group of players made the difference in the loss.

“They’ve got three or four nice players, which makes the team,” said Pilgrim head coach Bill Carroll. “Everything goes through them. We kept the shackles on them the first half and then we lost our focus and we weren’t tight enough, and they punished us.”

Chances were few and far between for the Pats, who dropped to 0-2 with the defeat. They previously lost their season opener 5-2 to Mt. Hope last Tuesday, despite goals from Evan O’Connor and Domenic DeNuccio.

West Warwick is now 3-0 and sits at the top of Division II a year after winning the Division III championship.

All game long, Pilgrim was content to play defense and hope for the counter-attack. Yet, with the Pats constantly on their heels, it always seemed like the levy would break. Sure enough, it did in the 46th minute.

Peixoto was able to dribble to the left corner, then create a small amount of space from his defender. He sent a quick, perfect cross over the hands of leaping Pilgrim goaltender Liam Strain and right to the feet of Price, who one-touched it into the net.

“They can finish,” Carroll said. “They can score.”

Even though they were down just a goal, the Pats’ deficit was made bigger by their inability to gain possession and mount anything moving toward West Warwick’s end.

Two minutes after the Wizards’ first goal, Pilgrim got a free kick on a handball just to the left of the box, but David Saran’s cross attempt went straight to West Warwick keeper Matt Grenier.

And in the 54th minute, the Wizards basically put the game away. After a throw in, Peixoto controlled the ball in the right side of the box with his back to the goal. He whirled and sent a pass straight throw the box to the waiting Johnson, who calmly tapped it in for a 2-0 lead.

“We’re very young and it’s naiveté, but they’ll learn as they get older,” Carroll said. “Just not keeping hold of the ball and giving it straight back to them, that’s not acceptable. When you’re under so much pressure you’ve got to ease the pressure and we didn’t.”

Pilgrim never really threatened for the rest of the match, and the Wizards added the exclamation point in the 79th minute. Faria held the ball in front of the net with a defender in front of him and toyed with the ball for a few seconds before slipping a perfect pass just a few yards ahead to a streaking Price, who buried it past Strain.

“Number eight [Faira] there, he does what he wants to do,” Carroll said.

Strain actually played a solid game. He was credited with only four saves on the day, but he – along with defenders Chris Ray and Devin Ramos and sweeper Matt Woods – kept the dangerous West Warwick attack at bay for the first 40 minutes.

“I was pleased with the first half,” Carroll said. “With the little bit of wind there is, we defended it well. We played smart defense. Devin and Chris Ray did a good job taking the two forwards and Matt was picking up the pieces. That was exactly how I wanted it.”

Strain’s saves included a diving effort on a shot by Peixoto in the 29th minute.

“Liam’s a good keeper,” Carroll said. “Not perfect, none of them are, but that’s why they’re learning. Liam does a good job.”

Once West Warwick did finally find the back of the net, though, Pilgrim’s hopes of a draw or an upset victory were dashed.

The Pats will try to pick up their first win of the season today, as their back in action on the road at North Smithfield at 7 p.m. The Northmen are 1-1-1 thus far.

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