Boys' soccer dream ends on rainy field
Published on November 15th, 2006
STONEHAM, MA - Many members of Stoneham High School's boys soccer (13-3-6) team laid motionless on the wet Cawley field turf, drenched from the torrential rains pouring down on them all afternoon and shocked that their season had come to an unexpected end in the Div. II North Finals - a premature ending for the many Spartans players accustomed to cruising through to the Div. II Finals.
This time it wasn't meant to be, as Concord-Carlisle defeated Stoneham, 4-3, with a goal in double overtime that ended the careers of several SHS players - including leading scorer Derek Bambery, standout midfield Rob Pacini, crafty forward Keith Yoshizumi, goaltender Mike Mansfield and backfielders Mike DeVirgilio, Danny Angelosanto and Matt Pappa.
"We've had an amazing run of playing in six straight Division II North Title games, and that continued this season with this team," said SHS coach Jim Carino. "People doubted these guys right out of the gate, and we ended up winning 13 games this season. If you just look at the shear number of games that we've won over the last six seasons, it's pretty staggering."
"It tells me that we've had some pretty amazing players come through this program over the last five or six years," added the typically modest Carino. "I can tell you one thing...it's not the coaching."
The Spartans headed into the match-up with Concord-Carlisle with a game plan to push the balls deep into the corner of the C-C defense, and then rocket shots in from the corners. The plan worked to perfection in the first half as, after an early Concord goal, Bambery tied the game with a scorching shot from the right side that beat the C-C keeper. Bambery again factored in the second goal, as a corner kick found the waiting head of Amon Mohammadi, who butted the ball into the back of the net for a 2-1- Stoneham lead.
Concord-Carlisle halved the lead with a goal of their own, but the Spartans seemed to have iced the game when they made it a 3-1 lead less than ten minutes into the second half. During a DeVirgilio free kick shortly after midfield, the senior fullback boomed a kick toward the C-C net that Danny O'Quinn managed to head into the net.
Another Devirgilio free kick just minutes later nearly went in on its own, as it rang off the left post beside the shocked C-C goalie before the defense cleared it out of the Colonials zone.
"That would have put us up 4-1 and it's a completely different ballgame, but we should win any game with a two-goal lead in the final minutes of a game," said Carino. "It's disappointing."
Stoneham held onto the lead right up until the 15 minute mark when Concord-Carlisle scored a goal on three straight head balls - with the final one beating Mansfield to the right side of the net. Ten minutes later, with play getting physical in the midfield, Bambery was given a yellow card after sliding at a Concord-Carlisle player in an attempt to strip him of the ball. With the standout senior out of the play until the next whistle, C-C went right at the middle of the field and set up a play in the exact spot previously situated by Bambery.
A perfect pass and shot resulted in C-C's tying goal, a score that gave all the momentum to the Concord-Carlisle squad and left Stoneham in a state of disbelief. The Spartans continued to battle with both teams getting opportunities in the final five minutes of regulation and the first ten minute overtime, but the score still remained tied.
"We had been playing so well down the stretch and into the second half, that I really thought we were going to make another postseason run," said Pacini. "I guess the best word to describe how I felt after the game was over was shock, disappointment and definitely sadness. I'll never play with most of those guys again."
Six minutes into the second overtime, it looked as if the game might be decided on penalty kicks - but an outstanding individual play by C-C ended it. Davis Barber took the ball into the right corner with his back to the net, collected the ball, wheeled around and fired a perfect pass to a streaking Jean Faucet. Faucet jumped in the air and used his head to redirect the ball - ending Stoneham's dreams of another state title.
"We had a great game plan going in, and we were in the exact position we'd want to be in with 15 minutes left to go in the game," said Carino. "You've got to Concord-Carlisle credit, because they've got a talented team. If we win that game, I think we take the whole thing."
The Spartans had made it to the second game at Cawley Stadium after a solid 2-1 win over Dracut Thursday night - a game that featured some of the best goaltending that Michael Mansfield showcased all year.
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