The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School boys soccer team soundly defeated Archbishop Williams 4-0 Sunday in the opening round of the MIAA south division 3 playoffs.
The home stands were full and the energy level high throughout the match where the seventh-seeded Vineyarders kept the ball almost entirely on the tenth-seeded Bishop side of the field. Vineyard midfielder Luidi De Oliveira scored first seven minutes into the match with a 20-yard kick that was fumbled by the Bishop goalie and slipped into the right corner of the net.
The Vineyarders almost made it 2-0 just a few minutes later after a foul was called on the Bishop goalie for jumping at a Vineyard player and De Oliveira was awarded a penalty kick. The ball sailed through on the attempt, but the goal was called back because he paused during his runup to the ball.
“That penalty was the turning point,” said Vineyard coach Esteban Aranzabe after the match. “My kids were angry and they worked hard after that to finish.”
In fact, both sides appeared angry during parts of the first half, with several yellow cards called and a near fight breaking out on the field. At one point the referees had to stop the game for several minutes to restore order.
During the second half, calm had mostly been restored on the field, which was still marked by aggressive play on both sides. But as the November chill set in as the sun set, the Vineyarders turned up the heat and didn’t let up for the remainder of the match. The team relentlessly attacked the Bishop goal helped along by the agile feet of freshman forward Lucas Reis, freshman midfielder Lucas Da Silva and defender Morgan Estrella.
About 12 minutes into the second half, defender Ygor Da Silva booted the ball from about 30 yards out toward the goal where it rebounded off the goalie, and forward Emanuel Silva dashed ahead to score, putting the Vineyard up 2-0. Archbishop Williams tried to bounce back soon after with a 30-yard attempt of their own, but Vineyard goalkeeper Hiaggo Goncalves’s sure hands easily foiled the attempt and maintained the shutout.
With 15 minutes left in the match, the Vineyarders alleviated any worries of a Bishop comeback with two goals in a span of five minutes. Defender Joshua Billings made it 3-0 after cleaning up after a kick by De Oliveira that was too hot for the Bishop goalie to handle. After a few more attacks, De Oliveira secured his spot as the match MVP by staying alert during a player pileup and kicking the ball past the goalie while lying on the field.
With the Vineyarders up 4-0, Mr. Aranzabe let several players from the bench put in some playoff time. Once the final whistle blew, the team rushed toward the bleachers in celebration to a standing ovation from the packed bleachers of parents, students and soccer fans.
“We played the ball very nice and dominated 90 per cent of the game,” said Mr. Aranzabe after the game. “It wasn’t easy, but we know what it takes to win in the playoffs.”
The Vineyarders now move on to play second-seeded Seekonk in the tournament quarterfinal round at 5 p.m. on Tuesday. The game takes place at Seekonk High School.
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