PEABODY — In a defensive battle, the visiting Cardinal Spellman boys soccer team (2-4-1) knocked off previously-undefeated Bishop Fenwick (3-1-2) Monday afternoon at Donaldson Stadium.
Scoreless through the 87th minute, Spellman finally broke through, taking a 1-0 lead on a goal by Isaiah Jeter and hanging on for a couple of anxious minutes to seal the win.
Fenwick coach Julius Pertillar said it was “all about finishing.
“If you don’t finish opportunities, you suffer,” he said. “Our defense played great team defense. Our goalie had an awesome game, even though he’s very young. But if you can’t finish, that’s the bottom line. It’s that simple. They finished their opportunities and we didn’t. The boys did the best they could.
“I’m always trying to teach the boys to transition and we just got transitioned on that goal. It’s all about understanding what’s coming next, but they’re learning. It’s a learning process. They’re upset because we lost, but that’s OK because they’re doing a great job. Spellman’s defense was fantastic. That’s what you call parking the bus in front of the goalie (Nick Iula). They did a great job protecting their goalie.
Spellman coach Michael Gerrish said while the Cardinals were outscored, 17-4, in their first three games, he sees real progress and hopes this game might be a turning point.
“It was a great game – an evenly-played game,” he said. “These guys (Crusaders) have been on a roll and have been playing very well. We started out 0-3 and were really hurting, and got beaten pretty good in a couple games. But since those first few games, we’ve played better and better and better. Our last game was a 0-0 tie, kind of like today, just up and down the field. We just haven’t been able to finish games, so it was nice to see them pull it off. We had a lot of decent chances today.”
Both teams had quality chances across both halves. Fenwick’s best chance came just three minutes in when Elias Rodriguez broke through the defense and fired off a shot that glanced off the crossbar and far post. Fenwick had another quality chance with about 14 minutes to go in the half when Ben Beader’s header off a Marcus Simon corner kick sailed high.
But the Crusaders’ best chance came with just under 30 minutes to go in the game. After a Spellman foul in the box, Fenwick was awarded a penalty kick. Simon drilled it low and toward the left post, only to be denied by Iula with a diving grab.
“Got to give the goalie credit. It was a great save. But that’s part of finishing – you have to finish off those opportunities,” Pertillar said.
“Stopping that PK was huge – just huge,” Gerrish said. “Nick had a great game for us today. These guys are pretty pumped because this is a big win for us today. We came up against a good team and we played well. We’ve given up so many goals that were, I hate to say, soft, because we made a few mistakes here and there, so it was great to get this one.”
Despite the loss, Pertillar was pleased with the Crusaders’ effort and overall play.
“My boys are fantastic. They work very hard and do a great job. It was just unfortunate that we didn’t finish,” Pertillar said. “Our freshman goalie, Mason (Oreste), was phenomenal and made some great saves. He’s only a freshman and he did a great job today. My midfielders did a great job. I felt Robert Beader did a tremendous job. He was coming off a minor injury, but he played tremendous today. And of course, the guys up front did a great job.”
It doesn’t get any easier for Fenwick. The Crusaders’ next game is against traditional archrival St. Mary’s Wednesday at home (4 p.m.).
“They’re always tough, they’re competitive, they’re well-coached, and have some great kids. That’s always a rivalry with us,” Pertillar said. “We still have a lot of season left, but I have to do a better job of getting them a little bit more information to be successful. We already are having a successful season up to this point.”
Spellman’s next game is at home against Bishop Stang Wednesday (3:30 p.m.).
“Bishop Stang was our first game of the year and we played horribly, so I’m hoping we do a little bit better,” Gerrish said. “We haven’t had a home game yet, so it will be nice to finally play at home.”
