East breaks out of offensive slump against Paul Cuffee

The Cranston Herald ·

The Cranston East boys’ soccer team didn’t have a goal in 160 minutes of Division III action leading up to Monday’s matchup with Paul Cuffee.

Then, it scored 10. The ’Bolts (1-1-1) ran past the overmatched Navigators, 10-1, at Cranston Stadium as junior Richmond Miamen led the way with four goals. Freshman Kerin Murillo also chipped in two goals of his own.

“It’s really great for us,” junior midfielder and senior captain Ayodeji George said about the win. “We have a lot of people who weren’t varsity players last year who are now making the step up. So to have a game like this where the guys played pretty well, against a team that we are probably better than overall on the pitch today, it’s a great confidence booster.”

East graduated 11 seniors, so this year’s team takes on a much more youthful look. The varsity squad consists of only two seniors, while freshmen and sophomores compose nearly half of the roster.

“We did a better job playing the ball to the flag, and that’s what I like to see, the kids spreading out the field,” East head coach Richard Grenier said. “Again, we’re playing against a young opponent, new in our league.”

It’s been a slow start for the ’Bolts, tying with Pilgrim 0-0 before coming out on the losing end of a 2-0 decision with Ponaganset. The victory over the Navigators allowed East to open up the playbook a bit, and it boosted the confidence of some of its younger players.

The ’Bolts were slow out of the gate, but the scoring didn’t stop once it started. Junior Isaiah Rosa got East on the board first when he collected a loose ball in the ninth minute and placed it in the top left corner.

Murillo notched the first of his high school career nine minutes later, sending a shot across the box into the bottom right corner. That would be enough for East eventually, but it had already found a groove.

“Kerin has awareness on the field that usually freshmen don’t have,” Grenier said. “He makes such great runs out of the middle. He sees the field really well. For a freshman, his soccer IQ is above average and his footwork is excellent.”

Miamen took advantage of careless defense on the other end for his first goal. Grenier said Miamen is often double- or triple-teamed, but he was played a little more loose against the Navigators. No one was watching him in the 22nd minute, so he snatched the ball from three Paul Cuffee defenders before scoring on a breakaway.

He would tack on his second moments later on an assist from Murillo. Grenier mentioned before the game that his team had trouble finishing opportunities against Pilgrim and Ponaganset. There were no such issues against the Navigators.

“It was nice to see the kids finish,” Grenier said. “There were some shots that we made today that we didn’t make the first three games. So maybe that will instill some confidence that they can put the ball over the white line.”

The ’Bolts would add another for good measure to close out the half. Angel Lopez took a shot from the left side of the box that was stopped by goalkeeper Juan Gonzalez, but he couldn’t corral the ricochet. Miamen collected it and scored easily to complete his hat trick.

“Today, [Miamen] was able to free himself [and] was able to get loose from a young defense,” Grenier said. “He has to have more confidence in his teammates that if he gives up a pass, that he’s going to be on the receiving end. That’s the one thing he has to work on. But one-on-one, he’s got tremendous speed.”

Gonzalez was all over the place in net for the Navigators. Despite the outcome, he still made 18 saves before leaving late with an undisclosed injury.

East wouldn’t have to endure a second-half slump, either. It came charging out of halftime and added three more in the opening eight minutes. Murillo surged past the defense for another, showing off bursts of speed that the Navigators couldn’t match.

Miamen and Mackenley Fevry went back-to-back in a matter of seconds after that. Miamen’s fourth came on a rocket to the center of the net that looked to go right through Gonzalez. On the ensuing kickoff, Fevry was all over the Paul Cuffee defense. He slashed through the line, stealing the ball and potting his first for an 8-0 lead.

The game plan was much more conservative for East from that point on, but it still managed to add a couple off the feet of Lopez and Moses Reyes to touch double-digits.

Elijah Brown got Paul Cuffee on the board late when he emerged from a scrum in front of the net and put one above goalkeeper Giovanni Canales.

“Our first goal is to win a sportsmanship award again, but our second goal is to qualify for the playoffs,” Grenier said. “The playoffs are different now, you have to get 18 points. We have four and we have 12 games. So we’re just going to try to get one and three points until that last week of the season. Get the kids in the playoffs, get some experience and it will kind of set the stage for what will be more of a veteran team next year.”