St. Thomas vs Portsmouth
October 18, 2013
Photos from the game by Nate Norton:
The Annual Pink Game
The teams played the game with Select "The Cure" soccer balls.
Players wore pink sweatbands and headbands.
Some even had pink laces in their cleats.
Players also wore "Rock-it Rylie" Pink T-Shirts in Momory of Rylie Cruz
This is done to raise awareness that cancer touches everyone's lives.
Everyone is effected by cancer in some way.
It could be a family member, a relative, a friend or someone you know.
Game Story from Foster's:
Clippers strike early, then fend off Saints
By
Mike Whaley
Saturday, October 19, 2013
DOVER Two early goals and a hot
goalie added up to a winning recipe for the Portsmouth High School boys
soccer team.
The Clippers scored twice in the first half and
goalie Tom Adler made six saves, including four of the spectacular variety
in the second half to stop Division II rival St. Thomas Friday, 2-0.
Theyre on the bubble (for the playoffs), so our
goal was to come in and since theyre our rivals try and knock them out of
the playoffs, said Portsmouth co-captain Ian Troost.
Cooper Valinski scored the first Portsmouth (9-2-3)
goal in the 12th minute and Troost added goal No. 2 four and a half minutes
later on a penalty kick.
Theyre fighting for playoffs, so we knew this was
the test coming in, said Portsmouth coach Caleb Paterson.
STA dropped to 3-10 and with three games to play
the Saints need two wins to have a shot at a berth in the 14-team
tournament. After an 0-8 start, St. Thomas entered Fridays game having won
three of its last four, including a 2-0 win Wednesday over 11-3 Lebanon.
"When
we step up and pressure teams, we cause turnovers and get the ball, said
STA coach Scott Suleski. When we step back and let them have time, they
score goals against us. It seems like it takes a goal to wake my team up.
... Were the team no one wants to play. Theyre all probably wishing we
dont make (the playoffs).
Portsmouth is assured a first-round home match on
Oct. 31. With three winnable games to complete the season, the Clippers now
shoot to make the top four and the potential for two home games.
Portsmouth went up 1-0 12 minutes in when Valinski
carried the ball down the left wing and fired a hard, but stoppable shot at
STA goalie Brock Crowley. The ball got by Crowley for the lead.
Well take it, lucky goal, Paterson said. On
frame. We know from last game (2-0 win) just put it on net and good things
happen against any team.
A trip inside the box led to the second goal and co-captain Troost, a
defender, stepped up and took the shot, burying it calming to the right as
Crowley leaned the other way.
I was just thinking youve got
to stay composed, Troost said. You cant let anything get to you. Dont
look at the goalie and slot it home.
Previous to the PK, the Clippers had another golden
opportunity when Iani Stamenov and Jackson Luff had back-to-back blasts
inside the 18 that Crowley (four saves) stopped.
STAs best chance came off the first of 12 corner
kicks. The ball settled into the 18 and pinballed off several players inside
the six before it was sent wide and out of play.
In the second half, the Saints got the better of
the play. They had four legitimate scoring chances and seven corner kicks.
Andrew Marino had the first two. He beat two defenders to get off a rocket
shot inside the
18 that Adler dived and knocked out of play.
No finger nails here, Paterson added. Youve got to give credit to Tom
Adler unbelievable, first-class goalkeeper. A keepers got to make two or
three big saves in a game like this to keep us in it. And he did it. Were
lucky to get out of here with a win. It could have been 2-1, 2-2.
Later in the half he had a mini-breakaway down the right side of the 18 but
his shot went wide left.
Too bad we didnt play 80 minutes instead of 40, coach Suleski said.
Their keeper kept them in the game. Thats why their record is so good. You
need a good keeper. Hell take them far I bet. Hes getting my all-state
vote.
In the final 90 seconds, St. Thomas had two more great chances, but Bryan
Kings blast was stopped by a diving Adler and then in the final five
seconds Adler got a hand on Andrew Savidges ball and it hit off the
crossbar and caromed out of play.
It seemed like we dominated the second half,
Savidge said. The first half a little unlucky with that PK, getting that PK
call, and getting the goal off it. For the second half, we pretty much
dominated and kept the ball in their end and almost (scored) right near the
end.
STA hosts Trinity Monday, while Portsmouth hosts
Milford Tuesday.
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