Bombardiers Escape with Tie Against Oliver Ames

Despite dominating possession and outplaying their opponent, the Bombardiers were seconds away from a loss.

 The Oliver Ames Tigers traveled from North Easton to Attleboro High School to take on the Bombardiers.  The Tuesday night game was a highly contested match and a very clean one, with very few fouls.

Oliver Ames entered the match at 3-4-5 and AHS was 5-3-3.  The teams played with great intensity and each got a point with a hard-earned 1-1 draw.  The Bombardiers had more scoring opportunities but were not able to capitalize on them.

 "We got lucky with a point," said AHS coach Peter Pereira. "We were flat out there, in order to play our game we have to play quick. I think there was a little letdown after the big win Friday night."  

During the first half, AHS controlled the action of play and had several chances to score.  The Tigers goalkeeper, David MacKinnon, a sophomore, came up huge for his team, notching 13 saves.  Oliver Ames also had a few scoring opportunities, but were not able to get it in the net.  The first half ended with no goals by either team.

In the second half, the Bombardiers again controlled possession, but the Tigers played better in the second half.  Oliver Ames gained confidence as the game went on as they found out they could compete at a high level with AHS.

There was plenty of late-game drama in the match.  Oliver Ames earned a penalty kick with eight minutes left in the game when their player was fouled from behind inside the penalty box.  Junior Kyle Arruda drilled the shot off the post, but senior teammate Jared Bloom buried home the rebound, giving the Tigers a 1-0 lead.

The Bombardiers, however, set out to prove the game wasn't over until the final whistle. Attleboro picked up its intensity because they knew time was running out.  The Bombardiers were able to create many scoring chances, but weren't able to capitalize on them.  Time was running out and it looked like Attleboro wouldn't be able to manage any goals.

The Bombardiers had one last chance to find the net. After a foul, they had a free kick in a good position.  Senior Kerry Lubin got a flick of the ball using his head, placing it perfectly for Troy Martins.  Martins, a junior, buried home his opportunity, tying the game at 1 in stoppage time.  After the kickoff, the referee blew the whistle, ending the game.

"We stepped up and played very well," said Tigers coach John Barata. "We need to work on defending on set pieces."

Oliver Ames record now stands at 3-4-6 and the Bombardiers improved to 5-3-4. Both teams are wrapping up league play and preparing for the playoffs.