St. Thomas Aquinas JV Boys Soccer vs. Coe Brown Bears
The Saints played host to the Coe Brown Bears in their last regular season home game.
Game Captains Faisal Gurwala and Pat O'Brien went out and won the toss, so Coe Brown kicked off to start the game.
Richard Howard was out for the season with the injury he sustained in the Oyster River game. Gabe Perreault was take up to varsity to play in their last game to get ready for the tournament. St. Thomas was going to be light on the bench.
Andy Stone, Matt Roginski, Jamie Phontharaksa, and Chris Rignoli went in at Midfield. The Saints defense was Jon Campolo, Max Olsen, Bryan Collins and Chris Rignoli. Patrick O'Brien and Faisal Gurwala started as strikers. Collin McBride was the keeper for the Saints.
The game started with St. Thomas taking the ball into the Coe Brown defense and for the first five minutes all the pressure was in the bears end of the pitch.
O'Brien challenges the Bears defender in the corner.
10 minutes in the shift changed with Kevin Schneider and Tom Carroll going in as strikers. Justin Guilbert went in as outside midfield.
12:09 into the game Coe Brown scored on a quick counter attack to take the lead 1-0.
St. Thomas had some scoring opportunities on corner kicks and breaks, but were not able to capitalize.
About 26 minutes into the first half a Coe Brown player was talked to by the referee for an excessive foul. The referee gave the Saints the kick out.
Brian Collins blocked a hard shot which sent him off the field for the remainder of the half. He was heard to say how it hurt worse than when he broke his leg.
The half ended with the black bears up 1-0. It appeared to the coach that the referee blew the whistle about 2 minutes early. St. Thomas out shot the Bears 8-6.
St. Thomas took the field for the second half. McBride was in net, Rignoli, Campolo, Collins and Olsen were on defense. Sullivan, Stone, Phontharaksa, and Guilbert were at midfield. Gurwala and O'Brien were on the point.
St. Thomas kicks off to start the second half.
Gurwala challenges for a high ball.
Coe Brown scored again at 13:06 into the second half to go up 2-0.
Guilbert hustles to get to a lead pass, but it rolls out of bounds.
The Bears scored their third goal at 30:38 into the second half.
McBride punts a ball out.
The final whistle blew about 3 minutes early with Coe Brown up 3-0. The Score shows a lop sided game, but the play was pretty even, Coe Brown just capitalized where the Stains couldn't.
I'm not sure if it was the cold weather or the loss of a number of players, but St. Thomas just didn't play like the team they were. I can only hope we can readjust before the tournament.
Tomorrow St. Thomas will play in the JV Tournament