North And South Evenly Matched, Play To A 0-0 Draw

The boys’ soccer teams from North Kingstown and South Kingstown high schools entered Friday’s rematch playing the best they have all season. They were also very familiar with each other.

Doing a great job of neutralizing each other’s strengths, but failing to capitalize on the weaknesses, the rivals played to a 0-0 draw at Curtis Corner Middle School.

“I’m not happy with a tie, but at least we’re getting out of here without a loss,” said Skippers’ head coach Kyle Froberg. “This is always a tough place to play.”

This was the first time the two teams faced each other since South’s 2-0 victory on Sept. 1. In that game, senior Ryan Sherman scored both goals. In the latest encounter, North was better prepared for Sherman and fellow captain Zach Campo.

“Most teams focus on our captains, Zach and Ryan,” said Scott Rollins, the Rebels’ head coach. “We don’t want to go away from our best players, but at the same time we have to find a way to involve our other players, such as Norman Kalen.”

“Our backs are super fast,” said Froberg. “We felt comfortable matching up with Campo and Sherman.”

Both teams had good scoring opportunities in the first have, but the goalkeepers were up for the challenge.

North’s most promising chance to score occurred 16 minutes into the game. Junior Justin D’Arezzo dribbled past defenders, but Tom Higgins made a diving stop for the Rebels in goal. With 21:20 remaining in the period, Sherman kicked a ball that seemed destined for the net, but Ben Jones leaped for the ball and swatted it away for North Kingstown.

The stout defense by both teams continued in the second half.

A couple of minutes into the period, D’Arezzo fired a shot from the left corner that momentarily slipped through Higgins’ hands, but the senior pounced on the ball before it could cross the line into the goal.

With 33:30 on the scoreboard, the Rebels received a free kick from about 20 yards in front of the net. The shot wasn’t allowed to penetrate the five-man wall that the Skippers created.

With the two foes countering each other’s attempts to score, it appeared that the game might come down to a bit of luck. It turned out that they were equally lucky (or unlucky) as well.

At 29:15, a breakdown in communication allowed the Skippers’ Chris Hess to get off an uncontested shot on goal. The Rebels dodged a bullet however, when the ball bounced off the left post.

About nine minutes later, South came within inches of scoring the lone goal. Sherman received a pass 10 yards in front of the net and blasted it off the crossbar.

"I was pleased that we stayed aggressive after the ball deflected off the crossbar,” said Rollins. “Many times there tends to be a letdown after something like that happens.”

Froberg commented on the chess match that unfolded throughout the game.

“We tried to go at their weaker players, but they did a good job of making adjustments,” admitted Froberg. “They made some substitutions that countered what we were trying to do.”

From Rollins perspective, the Rebels could have applied more pressure with their offense than they did.

“I thought we played into their hands too much, especially in the first half,” said the South coach. “We had too many shots that were right at the goalkeeper and when there was a rebound, we didn’t go after it with intensity.”

North’s next game will be on Monday at Chariho at 6:00. The Skippers are 3-0-3 in their last six games. They defeated Chariho on Sept. 7 by a score of 1-0.

South returns to action on Monday at LaSalle at 3:30. The Rebels are 4-0-1 in their last five games, outscoring their opponents 12-3. They’ll try to avenge a 2-1 loss to the Rams on Sept. 7.