Hawks pick up signature win over Rams

Posted 10/23/14

It was not the most aesthetically pleasing game, nor the best performance the Bishop Hendricken soccer team has had. But when the final whistle sounded Tuesday night, the Hawks celebrated their best …

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Hawks pick up signature win over Rams

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It was not the most aesthetically pleasing game, nor the best performance the Bishop Hendricken soccer team has had. But when the final whistle sounded Tuesday night, the Hawks celebrated their best win of the season.

Reed Worthington's goal in the 64th minute gave Hendricken a 1-0 victory over third-place La Salle, its first win over a team in the top four of the Division I standings. Riding a seven-match unbeaten streak, Hendricken is 7-2-4 and tied for fifth.

“It’s a rivalry, and in rivalries, it’s not always the prettiest game,” said Hendricken head coach Mickey Rooney. “But I thought the kids stepped up. La Salle is a good team. To beat them is a good accomplishment.”

The Hawks have risen to the challenge against other top teams, playing Central and Central Falls to draws. There was no question the Hawks could compete, but picking up a marquee victory was still nice.

The defending state champion Rams came in at 9-2-1, with their only losses coming to the teams above them, Shea and Central. They also hadn’t been shut-out all season.

“We tied Central Falls and we tied Central,” Rooney said. “Shea beat us the first game of the season. This was a nice win. It’s going to be interesting to see, when the season finishes, where everything shakes out.”

The game was scoreless most of the way, until Worthington struck. The senior midfielder got the ball near the top of the box, with some space. He wasted no time and smacked a blistering shot. Goalie Anthony Billeri, who was charging out, got a hand on the shot but it spun past him and into the net.

Worthington and the Hawks went wild.

Before the goal, Hendricken had made runs and applied pressure, especially in the second half. But a number of times, they tried setting something up, rather than taking the quick shot, and lost the ball in the process.

After getting a pass from Alex Leite and finding himself open, Worthington didn’t hesitate.

“We always say ‘You can’t score goals unless you shoot. Funny things can happen, but you have to give yourself a chance. Put it on target and see what happens,’” Rooney said. “Reed did that.”

Even with the 1-0 lead, Hendricken kept pressuring. Billeri had to make three diving saves on quality chances, and Chukwuma Onyejose watched a shot go past Billeri but just wide of the open net.

The one-goal lead was still enough, though. La Salle had two corner kicks in the final 10 minutes but came up empty and didn’t generate much else.

Hendricken goalie Alex Amado finished with five saves in the shutout, including two on breakaway chances in the first half, which proved to be La Salle’s best looks.

Leite, John Hindinger and Gianfranco Paterno led the defense. The fourth starter in the back, John Edgar, played well in the first half before an injury. Andrew Denkewicz replaced him and didn’t miss a beat.

The Rams had scored 40 goals this season, third-most in the state.

“They’ve been scoring goals,” Rooney said. “It’s an accomplishment for the defense. They had a real nice game.”

The Hawks now haven’t lost a game since a 3-1 defeat against South Kingstown on Sept. 29. They’ve won five games and tied two more since then.

“We’ve been improving each game,” Rooney said. “We’re coming against different styles, different tactics and we’re learning from that. And we’re squeaking out wins.”

Hendricken will play its regular season finale tonight, when it hosts Hope at 6 p.m. The playoffs are set to begin on Tuesday.

“We’ve got one more game, then it’s playoffs,” Rooney said. “Soccer is a funny game. Sometimes the best team doesn’t win and that’s why it’s so difficult to win a state championship. You’ve got to get hot for those last five games, get a little luck and see what happens.”

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