SHS Boys' Soccer Narrowly Beats Wilmington, Plays Charlestown in Round Two of Playoffs

The boys' soccer team escaped with a 2-1 victory in its opening-round match of the playoffs with Wilmington on Saturday night at Stoneham High.

Brian McSweeney and Johnny Cail netted the goals for the Spartans in the preliminary round of the State tournament.

Stoneham coach Jim Carino talked about the team's game plan heading into the game with Wilmington.

“We wanted to attack the corners and take advantage of the throw-ins,” Jim Carino said. “Wilmington did a great job of defending them.”

The Spartans jumped out to an early lead in the first half on the goal by McSweeney.

“We like to attack their goal by playing crosses on the ground. It was a low cross that got flicked on to my foot and I was just in the right spot at the right time and put it home,” McSweeney said. “Scoring first was a huge momentum swing in our favor and that helped us to win versus Wilmington.”

Minutes later, Johnny Cail gave the Spartans a 2-0 cushion as he scored off a corner kick.

“We practice that corner kick everyday and fortunately it worked out,” Cail said. “However, it would not have happened without the strength and endless work of the defense and midfield to keep getting the ball toward the corner.”

The Spartans headed to the locker room with a 2-0 lead and coach Carino addressed his team and he joked it may be the last time he does so.

“The funny part was I told them to concentrate on the first 10 minutes of the half,” Jim Carino said. “Wilmington scored in the first four, needless to say, no halftime talk next game.”

The Wildcats scored minutes after the break cutting into the Spartan lead at 2-1 with 37 minutes remaining in the game, but with tough, hard-nose defense and the willingness to win, the Spartans held on to advance.

Captain Ryan Carino attributed the victory to sticking to the game plan and keeping a good tempo throughout the game.

“For the rest of the tournament, we just have to work on playing a full 80 minutes,” Ryan Carino said. “There is no room for rest at this stage of the season so we just have to work hard for the whole game.”

Ryan Carino also stressed that scoring first in the tournament was a significant advantage.

“Getting those goals early were huge,” Ryan Carino said. “We were able to control play and had all the momentum going forward.”

The Spartans will travel to Charlestown on Monday for a 4:00 p.m. match. “We need to just play our game, it’s not complicated,” Jim Carino said.