SAUGUS — The 2016 season didn’t go the way the Saugus boys soccer team had hoped. The Sachems struggled to compete in the Northeastern Conference and quickly fell to the bottom in a season that provided little to smile about.
But a year can make a huge difference for a team, and that has certainly been the case for the Sachems and second-year coach Larry Bolduc this season.
The Sachems earned their third win of the season, 3-2 over Northeast, at Anna Parker Playground on Wednesday afternoon.
Saugus fell into a 2-0 deficit after the first 10 minutes of play but a pair of goals scored by Jhonatta Rodrigues, and one from Ryan Pugh, gave the Sachems the come-from-behind win.
“We played poorly in the beginning defensively,” Bolduc said. “It was good coming back. We had trouble coming back from a deficit in our first game this season. The fact that we’re showing how we can come back from behind is proving that we’re a resilient team.”
Now competing as an independent team, no longer in the NEC, the Sachems are rolling this year and building confidence. Although last year’s struggles are still recent, Saugus is moving onward in 2017.
“The winning mentality was on the backs of the guys who were on the team last year,” Bolduc, a former Saugus soccer player himself, said. “Our captain, Angelo Andrade, said he didn’t want to end his senior year the way we ended last year. The defeated mentality is gone. We’re proving our capabilities on the field. We can play and we shouldn’t be taken lightly anymore.”
The Sachems are 3-3 on the season, including victories over Northeast, Pope John and former NEC rival Lynn English. The win over Pope John was Bolduc’s first as the team’s coach.
“Last year was a struggle just to try and compete,” Bolduc said. “After our first win, I was psyched and pumped that we proved we’re not the same team we were last season. The players looked at it differently. They know we need to keep working on our weaknesses, even after a win. That’s how they looked at it and I realized the same thing too.”
The key to Saugus’ recent success, Bolduc said, has been the team’s ability to make smart in-game decisions. Finishing on scoring opportunities and making necessary adjustments have also been important along the way.
“We’re making the right decisions when it comes to strategy and knowing what to do,” Bolduc said. “Against Lynn English, we counter-attacked based on their defense. We’re doing the right things. We’re seeing things on the field and making adjustments when needed. We’re finishing all our chances and that’s really important to get these wins.”
Leading the Sachems in goals scored is junior midfielder Jonathan Rodrigues with eight. Rodrigues has also dished three assists, two of which came in Wednesday’s win. Junior forward Pugh has also contributed, with three goals.
“Jonathan’s one of the most gifted, tactical high school players that I’ve seen,” Bolduc said. “He has the instinct and the athleticism. No one can cover him in the open field. He’s the real deal in terms of elevating everyone else’s play. He’s a gifted player.”
Defensively, a pair of center-backs have led the Saugus push in senior Andrade and sophomore Guilherme Vaz.
In net, senior keeper Sundin Phaan has paired up with junior goalie/midfielder Juan Lopez to keep opposing offenses at bay. Lopez has also seen playing time in the field this season, scoring a crucial goal in the win against Pope John.
“Juan’s an amazing goalie but he also plays in the field,” Bolduc said. “He helped us get a huge goal in the win against Pope John. He kept us in games last year and this year he’s playing half and half. He likes playing the field.”
While the Sachems struggled to field an offense capable of generating consistent scoring chances last fall, that certainly hasn’t been the case this year. Bolduc’s pleased with his offense and it hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down thus far.
“Teams can expect a lot of great, cohesive play from us,” Bolduc said. “We’re moving the ball well around the field. We’re more aggressive than we were last year. They can expect a lot offense from us, because our defense is creating chances. Chances are a lot more prevalent this year than they’ve ever been.”
Saugus is back in action on Friday afternoon when the Sachems visit Cathedral.
