LYNN — It’s hard not to get caught up in the possibilities when you’re one win away from reaching the state championship game. In fact, it’s fairly easy to look ahead and lose track of the opponent at hand when you reach that level. The St. Mary’s boys soccer team’s making sure it avoids that mentality heading into Wednesday night’s (7) Division 4 state semifinal against South champion Cohasset at Marshfield High.
The Skippers are 16-4-2 on the season and the Spartans aren’t overlooking them in any way.
“I watched them play (in the Division 4 South final Monday),” St. Mary’s coach Mike D’Agostino said. “They’re a very good team. They have a lot of seniors. In the past five years, they’ve made it to the (state) finals four times. They have a lot of talent there. They definitely have the home field advantage with the game being played at the next town over (Marshfield). We’re hoping Spartan nation comes out and we appreciate the support.”
Although a formidable and talented opponent awaits the Spartans, D’Agostino likes the way his team’s playing. Goaltender Matt Gallego made his first start of the season in the sectional semifinal and earned a shutout win. Senior Joey Thongsythavong, an All-New England selection, scored two goals in the sectional final Sunday. D’Agostino said other players have stepped up during crucial moments, making the tournament run a full team effort.
“It’s next man up,” D’Agostino said. “A lot of people are stepping up for us. A lot of different players have played. Matt’s playing great in net. The shutout was huge. He’s made big saves. Alex Nguyen has done a great job filling in some gaps. It’s next man up. We have a lot of different unsung heroes helping lead this team.
“Joey was the MVP (Sunday),” D’Agostino added. “He stepped up into a key role. Joey took the reins in the second half. He’s a great player to coach. He’s All-New England, he missed All-American by one vote. I can proudly say he’s one of the best players I’ve coached in the past 10 years at St. Mary’s. He’s a great leader and he shows it on and off the field.”
D’Agostino feels the key to Wednesday’s game will be jumping out ahead with an aggressive attack in the early stages. That proved to be the winning formula in the sectional semifinal when Thiago DeOliveira scored a goal on a penalty kick 16 minutes into the game. That was all it took for a 1-0 win over Burke — the team that ended St. Mary’s season in 2017.
“The key to this game is coming off the bat with momentum,” D’Agostino said. “We’re looking to be aggressive right off the bat, stay with our pace and not get away from what we’ve done in the past. We didn’t show up against Concord-Carlisle. If we’re motivated to play like we were against Lincoln-Sudbury and St. John’s Prep, I think it’ll be a great game and we’ll leave there happy.”
This isn’t the first time St. Mary’s has met Cohasset in a boys soccer state tournament game.
“This is a rematch from the 1988 season,” D’Agostino said. “They beat Cohasset in overtime in 1988 to win the state championship. It’s a big rematch. For my kids, we’re just playing one game at a time, one 40-minute half at a time. We’re trying to keep the pedal to the metal and continue moving forward.”
And the boys soccer team isn’t the only St. Mary’s team clashing against Cohasset in a state semifinal game this week. The St. Mary’s football team will meet with the Skippers Friday night (7) in the Division 7 state semifinal at Hormel Stadium.
“It’s great for the school and great for the St. Mary’s family,” D’Agostino said. “Both of us are playing Cohasset, that’s a huge thing. We’re going to set the tone. We’re going first Wednesday. We’re trying to make sure that we get a state championship. These seniors were there in 2015 as freshmen when we made the state final. It’s next person up and everyone’s helping.”
