Of the 18 Division I girls’ soccer games played in the first seven days of the season, only three were decided by more than two goals. It’s an early indicator of a level playing field, and Cranston West is firmly planted on it.
After two seasons in which it won a total of three games, the Falcons opened 2014 with a 1-1 draw against Bay View and a 1-0 loss to Barrington on Monday. They’re still adjusting to a new system, still trying to find their footing and still looking to get into the win column, but the Falcons can’t help but feel they’re moving in the right direction.
“If you look at the D-I scores, they’re all pretty low,” said new head coach Jeremy Sherer. “We tied Bay View 1-1, Barrington tied La Salle 2-2, we lost to Barrington 1-0. I don’t anticipate a season where we’re going to go 5-0, 8-0 like they did last year. We’re playing much more cohesive, there’s good chemistry, they’re really psyched to be here and they’re working hard for each other. It’s all good.”
That’s not a bad place to be for a team that went 1-13 last season. Sherer, the former head coach at North Smithfield, took over the program after last year and is hoping to build West into a competitive Division I squad.
The process is in the works. Facing Bay View in the league opener Thursday, West fell behind early in the second half but fought for a late goal from Heather DiFazio and ended up with a 1-1 draw. Olivia Idowu made 10 saves.
On Monday, the Falcons played a largely even game with the Eagles but couldn’t get on the board. Barrington’s Caroline Larisa scored in the 75th minute for the game’s only goal.
“It’s a work in progress for us – it’s definitely a marathon, not a sprint,” Sherer said. “It’s going to take a long time for them to learn a new system. We’ve been together for three weeks. I personally think it takes three years for a coach to really have an imprint on the team. I’ve already seen an improvement in their style of play and what they’re trying to execute since we started. They’re getting better but it’s going to take a while.”
Barrington was coming off a 2-2 draw against defending state champion La Salle and carried the play in the early going of Monday’s game. But West steadily gained some control and started working its possession-oriented style. It resulted in some chances, but West couldn’t finish. Gabby Caruso had a blast from the top of the box saved, and Eleni Grammas missed to the near side on a shot from the right wing.
“For the most part, I would say it was a pretty even game,” Sherer said. “I think we had better possession at times and I think they tried to play more direct. We made one mistake and gave up a goal. I’m really not worried about that; I’m more worried about our lack of goals – we weren’t playing to width and we weren’t finishing. We certainly had opportunities but we kept trying to go direct and that’s not the way we play.”
West continued to come up empty in the second half, even with seven corner kicks in the first 22 minutes of the frame. West’s best look on all the corners came when Jillian O’Neil chipped a shot from the top of the box after a header, but Eagles goalie Ellen Murphy was there for the save.
Barrington put steady pressure on in the final 10 minutes and broke through with about five to go. Off a throw-in that drifted to the corner, Larisa won the ball and streaked in on the goal-line. She curled in a shot from the post to beat Idowu.
“We got beat in the corner,” Sherer said. “It’s not the left backs fault. You can’t pin that entirely on her because it got through nine other players before it got there. I’m not sure why somebody didn’t come over to double, but it is what it is.”
The Falcons held possession for a time after the Barrington goal but couldn’t put together a scoring chance. As they move forward, creating chances – and finishing them – will be the next step.
“We have to figure out a way in the final third to score goals,” Sherer said. “Our quality is not there. We’re lacking in the final third. Through the defensive third and the middle third, I thought we did okay. We held our shape, we were pretty disciplined. We made mistakes, but what really hurts us is the lack of quality in the final third.”
It’s all part of the process, though. The Falcons are eager to continue it.
“We have 22 really hard-working, good athletes who are learning to play, improving their tactical ability and awareness and are learning to play together, so it’s all good,” Sherer said.
West was slated to play Mt. Hope on Wednesday, with results unavailable at press time. The Falcons will visit Prout on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
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