Schools
Girl's Soccer: Falcons Get a Huge Road Victory to Stay in the Playoff Hunt
Cranston West defeats Cumberland 4-0, moving their record to 5-5-2 on the season with six games left to play.
Cranston West played great soccer at Cumberland and came up with a paramount victory as far as playoff implications are concerned, defeating the Clippers 4-0 Friday night.
Alex Stanton got the scoring started for the Falcons, finding the right corner of the goal to give Cranston West a 1-0 lead 12 minutes into the contest. Stanton had two assists later in the game, and also defended well against Cumberland's leading scorer Stephanie Ribeiro. Cranston West Coach Charles Pearson was ecstatic with her play.
"Alex Stanton played phenomenal soccer today," Pearson said.
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Cranston West went on to dominate the rest of the first half, not allowing a shot from the Clippers for its entirety. Leanna Ly netted a goal in the 25th minute for the Falcons on a finesse shot that carved into the left corner. Alex Stanton found Ariana Stanton for the header off of a corner kick moments later, giving Cranston West a 3-0 lead, which the carried into halftime.
Cumberland had some opportunities in the second half, but the Cranston West defense held strong. The Clippers created three great chances in the second half, but all were turned away by Falcon Goalkeeper Danielle St. Pierre.
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"My Keeper came up big. She stopped Steph [Stephanie Ribeiro] on one shot and stopped another shot on the centering play. One thing I love about my Keeper is that she doesn't hesitate. She's committed and she goes," Pearson said, regarding the play of Danielle St. Pierre.
Leanna Ly and Alex Stanton collaborated on the corner kick, as Ly scored her second of the game. Cranston West played sound defense and kept the Clippers off the board, rolling to 4-0 victory.
Cranston West improves to 5-5-2 on the season and currently sit as the seventh seed in the playoff standings (the top 8 teams qualify), making this a crucial win for the Falcons.
"Every game now is important, and that was a huge game," Pearson concluded.
Cranston West has six games remaining and will look to string some wins together to solidify their playoff spot. The Falcons will face off against Scituate on Tuesday.
