DANVERS — The top-seeded St. John’s Prep soccer team is back in the Division 1 Final Four after Wednesday’s convincing 4-1 win against No. 9 Cambridge Rindge & Latin at Glatz Field.
“It feels great to be back in the Final Four. We had aspirations all season about getting to this point. We’re excited and we’re looking forward to it,” Eagles coach Dave Crowell said.
You could say scoring early is every coach’s dream, and the Eagles got on the board in the 13th minute thanks to Ryan King, who found the bottom corner (1-0).
Not too long after the opening goal, Prep’s Garrison Murphy doubled the lead. Murphy, a reliable scorer, has netted goals in every tournament game thus far.
“Garrison had a goal and an assist tonight. He’s now at four goals in three games so far this tournament,” Crowell said. “What separates him from most high school kids is that he’s so fast and strong on the ball. He’s able to dribble at speeds that most kids just don’t have the luxury or talent to do. He’s a great finisher. His goal tonight was from a ridiculous angle. He gave us the momentum we needed.”
The Prep entered halftime with a 2-0 lead.
In the second half, King scored his second goal moments after a Latin shot was saved by goalie Matt Droggitis.
Latin tucked one to make it 3-1, but James Minor made sure the game didn’t get any closer as he tucked away the fourth and final goal for the hosts.
Prep will face the winner of No. 13 Concord-Carlisle and No. 21 Brookline, who play Friday at 4 p.m.
“The kids have been really locked in. The key for us is a fast start to keep teams on their heels,” Crowell said. “We try to make teams adjust to us.”
