Boys Soccer: West Captures Second Consecutive Win, Crushing the Kilties

Cranston West hosted Mount Pleasant on Tuesday afternoon at Hope Road Athletic Complex in a boys soccer match that started with an unorthodox twist from the referees. West was dealt an early blow, but they responded and won their second straight, claiming a 4-1 victory.

As is customary and routine, the referees read the blue sportsmanship card to both teams at midfield before the game. But after reading the blue card, they mentioned to the players to be cautious and that West had received a red card in the prior meeting between the two teams.

That game was played about a month ago, which means it should be considered old news. The red card in that game would have no impact at all in Tuesday's game, so many felt it was unnecessary to mention.

In the first minute of the game, the referees made a controversial call. West's junior goalkeeper Jonas Sullivan made a save and began to bounce the ball on the ground. Most goalies use this technique, before they take a step forward and punt the ball.

The officials blew the whistle and ruled a foul had occurred. The call was that Sullivan had lost control of the ball, as it slipped out of his hands, picked the ball back up and began to bounce it on the ground again. This was ruled illegal, which technically is the right call, and Mount Pleasant was awarded a free kick.

Most goalies bounce the ball before they punt it and is something they have done for years. Even the professional keepers do so, and it is an extreme rarity for a free kick to be awarded because of it. All five coaches at the game, three assistants and the two head coaches, could not figure out what the call was and why Mount was awarded the free kick.

The Kilties took the free kick very quickly, as they caught West off guard and were able to score on it. Junior Jarin Rosales dished it off to Geiby Ramirez who buried it into the back of the net. Some Falcons players were arguing with the call and in shock that Mount had been awarded the kick. They took advantage of it and put the ball into play quickly, eventually scoring on the play.

In the fifth minute, West had a golden opportunity to tie the game. Junior Chris Burrows missed the penalty kick, shooting it right down the middle. Kilties senior keeper Diego Cruz easily made the save, preserving the lead.

In the 22nd minute, the Falcons came up with the equalizer. Senior Pat McAssey took the corner kick, Nick Montaquila received it in the penalty area and dished it to Burrows, who drilled the shot, tying the game at one.

They executed another set piece to perfection ten minutes later. Senior Jarrod Terry took a free kick from behind midfield, Koye Idowu made the run up the middle and flicked the ball with his head to the feet of  senior Ian Chalmers. Chalmers buried the opportunity, giving West a 2-1 lead.

Chalmers was not finished. In the 55th minute he made a spectacular play. The ball was crossed to him and he chested it down to his feet. He had to dive to execute the shot, and the diving volley upped the lead to 3-1.

In the second half, West controlled the pace of the game and the action. They maintained possession for long stretches and their passing was crisp.

"In the second half, we were doing an excellent job of moving off the ball, communicating, receiving the ball with composure, and switching the field," West's coach, James Williamson said.

With about five minutes left in the game, Idowu made one more highlight in his final home game of his high school career. His left footed shot from near the left sideline went into the upper 90 of the net at the far post, extending the lead to 4-1.

Williamson spoke about the heart and will of his team. "These kids fight every single game and that’s what has been propelling us in these last two wins," he said, "They are just very dedicated and have a lot of pride."

The Falcons jump ahead of the Kilties in the standings and have won two consecutive games. Their record improves to 3-9-1 and they have moved up from ninth to seventh in the standings in the last two weeks.