Hawks heating up

Hendricken soccer enters playoffs on 4-game win streak

By ALEX SPONSELLER
Posted 10/24/19

By ALEX SPONSELLER The Bishop Hendricken boys soccer team had a new look heading into the 2019 season. After graduating a large core of its seniors from the previous fall, the Hawks were set to rely heavily on their underclassmen to fill in the gaps

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in

Hawks heating up

Hendricken soccer enters playoffs on 4-game win streak

Posted

The Bishop Hendricken boys soccer team had a new look heading into the 2019 season.

After graduating a large core of its seniors from the previous fall, the Hawks were set to rely heavily on their underclassmen to fill in the gaps while also waiting for new leaders to emerge.

Hendricken suffered through some growing pains in the early going and dropped tough matches to Barrington, South Kingstown, North Kingstown, and rival La Salle. Although the Hawks were keeping pace in the standings, it seemed like they would have to settle for a middle-of-the-road finish and be satisfied with a playoff appearance. The Hawks have also been without longtime coach Mickey Rooney, who has been out on medical leave.

However, the Hawks have hit their stride over the past two weeks and seem to be peaking at the right time as the Division I postseason is set to begin things next week.

Hendricken finished the regular season on a four-game winning streak, beating Classical, East Providence, Moses Brown and Cumberland and allowing just one goal in that span.

After dropping games to some of the top teams in the division, the Hawks had one last crack at proving they could compete with the best of the best in Division I when they traveled to Moses Brown last week. The high-flying Quakers took an impressive 7-1-3 record into the matchup and were considered the favorite against the young Hawks.

It was a windy day on top of the hill, but the Hawks would come out strong and shut down the Moses Brown offense.

The Quakers were successful in slowing down the Hendricken attack in the early going, but Cory Goldstein would connect with Ian Berry with 2:30 remaining in the first half to put away what would end up being the game-winner. Hendricken goalie Declan Caster recorded seven saves in the victory.

“Defensively we have been sound and solid throughout the season. We have AJ Guindon in the back and he’s just been lights out. He’s very difficult to get past, we feel very comfortable with him back there. Our keeper Declan Caster has come up with some big saves for us this year and especially here against (Moses Brown). Our whole defense has really been what’s holding us together,” said Hendricken assistant coach Billy Johnston, who has relieved Rooney on the sidelines this season.

“Wind was a huge factor. We were playing into the win in the first half and were able to steal that goal, then we had the wind at our back in the second half which really helped us in preserving that 1-0 lead,” said Johnston.

Johnston was also excited to see his club pick up the statement win and to gain some momentum late in the season.

“(Moses Brown) is a good team, a very, very good team. This was a big win for us. We’ve been a little bit unlucky this season, they’re come up short and haven’t always gotten the result that they’ve wanted. We got the results we wanted here today and have been playing much better lately, which is great for us heading into the playoffs,” said Johnston. “A win like this is really important for us. We are on a little bit of a roll here so we just need to keep it going.”

The Hawks have done just that since and topped visiting Cumberland 2-1 on Monday evening.

Michael Hanlon and Dylan Chelo each recorded goals in the victory while Guindon picked up an assist. Caster racked up six saves in the win.

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here