LYNN — With the first half winding down and still no score on the board, it looked like Tuesday night’s rivalry matchup between English and Classical boys soccer may be a close defensive battle at a rainy Manning Field.
But with seconds before halftime, Classical’s Jonathan Amaya was able to win a race to a loose ball and slipped a shot passed Bulldogs goaltender Cherubin Musangu, giving the Rams a 1-0 lead at the half.
The Rams never looked back from there, cruising to a 3-0 win thanks to an overall solid defensive effort and two second half goals by Jenner Robles.
“That boosted us tremendously,” Classical coach Eric Moreno said of Amaya’s goal. “Honestly in the first half we were playing out of character and not playing the way we were suppose to play and then that goal kind of bumped them up. We went inside, talked in the locker room, figured some things out and we came out confident in the second half.”
The Rams played solid defense from start to finish, preventing the Bulldogs from getting any solid scoring opportunities.
“We start with defense first,” Moreno said. “That’s always our mentality. If we play very disciplined and we don’t give up many goals, then we can just build of that solid play.
“Our game is a very technical game,” Moreno added. “We like to pass, two touch and move around the whole game. We had trouble doing that at some points because of the rain but once it started clicking the guys got their confidence up and were able to ice the game.”
Musangu made several key stops, but the Bulldogs lacked an offensive game.
“We played really well in the first half and we created a few opportunities, but unfortunately one bad break in the final seconds cost us,” English coach Kerry King said. “Unfortunately in the second half we had to try to open up offensively to get the tying goal and we left ourselves a little vulnerable defensively.
“Credit goes to Classical,” King added. “They’re well disciplined. They do an excellent job defensively. They’re very organized and well structured and they played well tonight. All we can do is keep working harder and do better next time.”
After getting ahead 1-0, Classical controlled play in the second half before capitalizing on a few scoring opportunities.
The first came 15 minutes into the second half when Robles stole the ball from an English defender in the box. Robles then ripped a shot that went through Musangu’s legs to put the Rams ahead 2-0.
Seven minutes later Robles added his second goal, leaping for a pass and scoring with room on the left side of the net to put Classical ahead 3-0. The Rams were then able to put their substitute players in to close out the victory.
The Rams (7-1-3) will host Gloucester Thursday (5:30).
“We’re undefeated in league games right now,” Moreno said. “We are competing for a league title so all these games are very important for us right now, every game is crucial.”
