Portsmouth Defeats Tiverton 2-0 in Injury Fund Soccer [VIDEO]

Not tough enough.

That was the observation of boys’ soccer Coach Tom Murray after his squad made its 2011 public debut Tuesday night at home with a 2-0 loss to Portsmouth High School in the last of four Injury Fund exhibition matches played in Tiverton.

The bigger, stronger and deeper Division I Patriots scored goals early in both 20-minute periods (interrupted by a brief intermission) and controlled action in the midfield for most of the contest while posting a hard-earned victory over the scrappy but outgunned Division III Tigers.

With superior intensity and aggressiveness, Portsmouth dominated play for most of the 40 minutes, although Tiverton produced several serious scoring threats in the second period and received solid goaltending throughout. The Tigers simply could not match the brawn and experience of the Patriots.

“We just weren’t tough enough tonight,” Murray said. “They (Portsmouth) played at a different level than we did. When we lost the ball, we pouted. When they lost the ball, they got it back.”

Well said. It took less than four minutes for Portsmouth to assert control and put the first score on the board. The Patriots pressured Tiverton’s defense and capitalized on a mistake when Yanni Spanos beat Tiger keeper Matt Ramos to a loose ball and calmly popped it into the net with 16:05 to play in the opening session.

Portsmouth’s relentless attack kept Tiverton pinned in its defensive zone for most of the remainder of the period and the Patriots needed just 84 seconds of the second period to double their advantage. Shane Callahan walked in alone from the wing, deked Ramos and cleanly booted the ball into the back of the net at the 18:36 mark to produce a 2-0 tally.

The Tigers played Portsmouth to a draw the rest of the way and had three outstanding scoring bids, but misfired on every attempt (including one which hit the crossbar and bounced away).

“We had some good scoring chances in the second half, but we didn’t finish them and we have to do that to be successful this year,” Murray said. “We have a very young team. We only have four returning starters from last season and it’s going to take a little while for us to come together.”

Murray also said he saw some bright spots during Tuesday’s tussle.

“At times, I thought we passed the ball well and tried to get the ball outside for attacks,” he said. “What we didn’t do was get the ball out of the middle quicker.”

Murray also lamented his squad’s inability to physically match up with the Patriots.

“We’ve got to be tougher,” he said. “They physically beat us up tonight. When we lose the ball, if we don’t go get it, it’s going to be a long year.”

In matches played earlier Tuesday in Tiverton, Division I East Providence High School and Division III St. Raphael Academy of Pawtucket battled to a scoreless draw; Division III Rogers High School of Newport held off Division II Mount Hope High School of Bristol, 2-1; and defending Division I state champion Barrington High School dominated Division III Middletown High School, 2-0.

The Tigers will open their 2011 regular-season schedule next Tuesday night (Sept. 6) at 7 p.m. at home against St. Raphael Academy.

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