SCARBOROUGH — The Deering boys’ soccer team finally put it all together Tuesday evening and produced its biggest win in its last game of the regular season.
The Rams feel behind Scarborough early, but answered with goals from Adilson Vidal, Patricio Mowa and Carlos Adriano-Muaco and played strong defense on their way to a 3-1 victory over the previously undefeated Red Storm at Kippy Mitchell Sports Complex.
“The guys executed amazingly today,” said Deering Coach Joel Costigan. “Everyone had a positive attitude. The guys were motivated and focused. That speaks to the leadership on the team. The captains did a great job keeping guys ready to go and keeping their heads in the game.”
The Red Storm, who will be the top seed in Class A South for the upcoming tournament after finishing the regular season 13-1, took a quick 1-0 lead when Will Fallona finished Dillon MacLeod’s corner kick in the ninth minute. The Rams (10-2-2) rose off the deck and turned the game around.
Deering was awarded a penalty kick in the 14th minute after a foul in the box. Vidal, a senior captain, had his initial shot saved by Scarborough goalkeeper Nicholas Ouellette (four saves), but he pounced on the rebound and sent it home to tie the score.
“Coach always tells us to never give up on a play,” Vidal said. “I kept watching the ball, I kept my composure and took an extra touch.”
The Rams then went ahead in the 33rd minute on a seemingly innocent shot.
Mowa drove a free kick from midfield deep into the box. Ouellette came out and tried to punch the ball away but bounced off his hand and into the goal.
The Red Storm tried to rally in the second half, but Deering’s defense and keeper Adao Lufumbo-Mbenza (eight saves) held strong.
Adriano-Muaco got to a loose ball in the box and banged it home for an insurance tally with 15:30 to play.
Scarborough had one last chance to get back in the game, but Deering back Chandrel Mangele Laza swept a sure goal off the line to seal the victory.
“We came into the game with the mentality that although they had an undefeated record, we knew we could match up with them,” Vidal said. “We know we have a great team, too. We worked well together and didn’t give up on any plays and stayed disciplined with Coach’s game plan.”
The Red Storm tasted defeat for the first time this season, but longtime coach Mark Diaz believes his team will bounce back.
“I’m very proud of these guys and what they’ve accomplished (so far),” he said. “We won a really tough conference and we’ll learn from this. We haven’t had much adversity this year, so this was good for us. We’ll look at the things we did wrong tonight and we’ll correct them.”
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