Spartans too much for Panthers

JHS still pleased with young team's progress as season winds down

Posted

The Johnston boys’ soccer team took the field on Tuesday night and did what it has been doing since the season began.

The Panthers competed. Once again – as has usually been the case – it didn’t result in a win, but it was all head coach Dan Mazzulla could ask of his young team with the season winding down.

Johnston lost 4-0 to Scituate, but trailed only 1-0 at the half and through the first 58 minutes. The Panthers had a few opportunities during that time but once they missed those, the dam broke. Ryan Buonaiuto scored four times for the Spartans.

The Panthers have gotten better this year, and they’ve rarely been overmatched despite playing a number of freshmen and sophomores.

“We really played pretty decent,” Mazzulla said. “We really didn’t get blown out all season. We got blown out tonight, but once it was 2-0 we put the press on.”

The Panthers are 1-8-4, and are tied for the final playoff spot with Tiverton. Johnston’s regular season finale – where it will likely need at least a draw in order to make the postseason – was scheduled for Wednesday but was rained out. As of press time, no make-up date had been scheduled.

Johnston has lost only four games by more than two goals, including the Scituate game, and has lost three one-goal games.

“We’re young,” Mazzulla said. “A lot of the kids who played this year – I’ve got two freshmen up front – they have to understand that the focus and the commitment comes into play.”

Scituate, which improved to 7-4-2 with the win, was certainly the better team Tuesday, but it was kept off the board throughout most of the first half due to the stellar play of sophomore goaltender Devon Atkinson.

Atkinson saved a clean breakaway on Christopher Fortier in the 22nd minute, then made a pair of saves in the 26th minute that forced a corner kick. He dove for a save in the 36th minute on a shot from Joseph Deberardis, and did so again on a shot from Brent Ricciarelli from close range in the 38th minute.

“He played well,” Mazzulla said of Atkinson.

Johnston had a few chances, too. Chris Cardenas fired a shot from the right side of the box that skipped past the left post early in the game, and Mariano Nasisi took a long free kick that went right to Scitaute goalie Domenic Dell’Oro.

With just 10 seconds left in the half, the Spartans took the lead. Deberardis put a ball into the box that ricocheted out and came to rest at the feet of Buonaiuto. With the outside of his right foot he banged a shot into the left side to give his team the lead going into the break.

“That kid is a hell of a player,” Mazzulla said of Buonaiuto.

Johnston got a decent look early in the second half, as seven minutes in, Nasisi took a long shot from 30 yards away that Dell’Oro corralled. Six minutes later, Jesse Urizar put a shot over the net from outside the box.

“That goes in, it’s a 1-1 game, now you’ve got a little momentum,” Mazzulla said.

But from there on out, it was all Scituate. In the 59th minute, Buonaiuto got free on the left side, created a little space and rifled a shot that slipped through Atkinson’s legs. Ten minutes later, Buonaiuto received a pass at the top of the box, spun and hit a shot into the left-corner of the goal to make it 3-0.

His fourth goal came in the 74th minute.

“I thought we played good for 65 minutes,” Mazzulla said. “We were pressing, we had some good sequences, but we never really had a break.”

Still, no one was too disappointed. It was a solid effort in a long line of solid efforts this year.

“It was fun,” Mazzulla said. “We were pretty much pleased. There was no surprise in our season. We competed. Only a couple games we didn’t compete in.”

Mazzulla knew this season was for growing. Next year, he hopes the Panthers can take a legitimate step forward.

Plus, this season may not be over just yet. There’s still a potential playoff berth on the horizon if all the chips fall in place.

“As they come in next year, I’m trying to preach the fact that to get to the next level they’ve got to commit themselves, to getting better, to the skill level,” Mazzulla said.

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here