Rays lose 1-0 heartbreaker to Crusaders

Under overcast and misty skies, the Rhode Island Stingrays dropped their final home match of the 2007 season to the Cape Cod Crusaders Wednesday night, losing in heartbreaking fashion on a Dwight Barnett header in the 68th minute.

The match, played at the Stingrays home away from home, Bryant University in Smithfield, RI, pitted the PDL rivals on a fast artificial surface made even quicker by the misty conditions engulfing the region.

Early on, it was clear that the Crusaders looked to acquire goal number one, as they set their offensive tempo rather quickly, forcing the Rays defenders to keep the potent offense (30 goals all season) at bay in the opening minutes.

The Crusaders delivered their first threatening shot in the 10th minute, when Dan Stratford, who hounded the Rays back line all night, went one-on-one down the right flank with defender Derek Puerta before deflecting a shot that Rays keeper Josh Ford harnessed for the stop.

As the Cape Cod kept the home club on its toes, the Rays managed to find daylight of their own in the 25th minute. Marlon Giraldo took a dangerous free kick from 25 yards out, and rocketed the ball mere inches above the crossbar. Though the shot missed, it put the Crusaders on notice that the Rays were not content with simply stifling their attack.

Another chance developed in the 36th minute on a Stingray counterattack, as Giraldo sidestepped his defender, and launched a missile on Crusader keeper James Thorpe, who dismantled the heat-seeker.

With the final seconds of the first half ticking away, the Crusaders feverishly counterattacked in the 45th minute, when the menacing Stratford sailed a free kick to Barnett, who wildly headed the ball wide of the intended target, as the half expired soon thereafter.

After the second half kicked off, the Rays continued their stellar defense by stifling an attack that nearly counterattacked at will. Cape Cod wasted no time in reclaiming the attack less than two minutes in, as Stratford delivered a dangerous cross from the left that forced Ford airborne to intercept the pass.

The slick surface continued to wreak havoc in early minutes of the second frame, as the ball unnaturally skipped and slid along the multi-lined, all-purpose turf at Bryant University Stadium.

A promising chance materialized in the 54th minute, when the Rays forcefully reclaimed possession on a clever steal by Jeff Gonsalves off a developing Crusader counterattack. The striker then proceeded down the right wing, before sending in a beautiful cross to an open Lukasz Tumicz, who side-volleyed a screamer over the crossbar.

The clubs traded possessions thereafter until the fateful 68th minute. Stratford took a free kick and delivered a fantastic bending ball into the mixer. Amid the rush of players crashing the box, Barnett rose to the occasion, and powerfully headed the pass into the back of the net, giving the Crusaders the all-important first goal.

Attempting to kick start the attack again, the Rays reassembled the troops down the pitch in the 72nd minute kick started by defender John Nolan. He blazed right into the teeth of the Cape Cod back line before sending a feed to Gonsalves, who fired a wild shot well wide of the net.

After a frustrating night of near-misses, the Rays launched one more push toward net in the 89th minute. From the left edge of the box, Giraldo swept a slick, devilishly skipping grounder that met its untimely demise in the mitts of Thorpe, thus snuffing out the last chance at finding the equalizer.

Gonsalves performs the hat trick in 4-2 demolition of Long Island

Despite the calendar indicating a twenty-four hour period of unluckiness, Friday the 13th proved to be a wildly lucky day for Stingray striker Jeff Gonsalves. The former URI Ram played without curse or hijinx, as he netted an astounding three goals for the Rays in a resounding 4-2 victory over Long Island last night.

Gonsalves first took residence in Long Island territory in the 7th minute, when he raced right into the heart of the Long Island back line and launched a rocket that deflected off a hapless Rider defender before the box. Despite the slight redirection, ball arched perfectly into the upper right shelf for the opening salvo, and gave the home side the early one-goal advantage.

Soon after, a scary scene occurred at the 8th minute mark, when Riders midfielder Paul Roderick galloped into goalkeeper Joshua Ford, which left the Stingray down for a few tense moments before he came back to his feet.

However, a few minutes later, Ford was immediately tested, and made beautiful stop on a Rider shot that left him vulnerable on the rebound. Said rebound found the foot of Roderick, who rifled the shot from the right flank for the equalizer in the 11th minute.

As the game drew toward the halfway point of the first half, tempers on both sides flared, as Rays midfielder Jonathan Pereira was awarded a yellow card by referee Guido Gonzalez for a questionable violation. Soon after, the Riders began to unleash a flurry of rather unsportsmanlike shots at various Stingray players, which drew the ire of a visibly upset Mario Pereira.

The school of hard knocks continued for the remainder of the frame, as both club’s players traded more late tackles and high elbows than offensive chances.

As the first frame neared conclusion, the Riders looked to be taking the offensive advantage, as the Rays began to find themselves in reverse more than drive .Then, in the 44th minute, the Stingrays quickly counterattacked, as Dawid Badecki fed a gluttonous Gonsalves, who beautifully samba’ed through the right flank, cut inside, and took an impossibly-angled shot on goal that magically found a home in the top left shelf of the net for the go-ahead goal minutes before the curtain fell on the first half.

When the second half kicked off, the Riders sought to locate the equalizer and wasted no time in doings so. Two minutes into Act Two Mike Grella took a fortuitous rebound off the far post and tapped in the easy goal at the edge of the goal mouth in the 47th minute.

Just after the hour mark, the Rays broke through the Rider back line when Badecki delivered a perfect ball on net that was batted away by Riders keeper Jason Landers, but the sequence turned out empty handed, as the both club battled at midfielder for most of the second half.
Tempers went wild again in the 72nd minute, when Gonzalez gave Rider coach Dave Fisher an untimely ejection, after the manager continued to hurl disparaging comments regarding the quality of the officiating.

With the score level, it was the Riders that found themselves in better position to attain the go-ahead score. However, a black cat must have been lurking near the Long Island bench when, in the 77th minute, Grella went one on one with Rays defender Darren Howerton deep into the Stingray box, before the shifty midfielder sidestepped Howerton, paused, and launched a clear shot on goal that flailed high over the crossbar. Less than a minute later, Grella, in a reprisal of his recent performance, once again crashed the box, and yet again faked out his defender, before firing a shot that unluckily went off the back heel of an oblivious John Nolan, who was simply marking his man before the goal mouth.

Then, with less than ten minutes remaining in regular time, Marlon Giraldo found Evan Unger in wide open pasture. Unger took two touches, and launched a hard shot on net deflected wide of the Rider net. On the ensuing corner kick, the ball was headed by Ryan McCormick tantalizingly close to the goal before Gonsalves followed up with another header and directed it past Landers for the go-ahead in the 83rdminute.

Uncontent with a one-goal advantage, an-all out Stingray assault culminated on a McCormick screamer from the right flank in the 86th minute, which gave the Rays the insurance goal with time quickly dwindling.

As the leaderless Riders struggled to re-assemble their attack in the slim hopes of closing the two-goal gap, the Rays stonewalled the flailing Long Island attack, and the home club preserved the much-needed 4-2 victory on home soil.

Stingrays draw even to Fury, 1-1

Like a pair of mixed martial arts fighters, the Rhode Island Stingrays and Ottawa Fury punched, kicked and grappled their way to a 1-1 draw Sunday afternoon at Pierce Memorial Field before an enthusiastic ringside crowd.

The Fury kicked off for the first half under cloudy skies and cool temperatures, as both teams attempted to find their pace in the opening minutes. Both teams struggled to muster any quality chances until the 8th minute, when Jeff Gonsalves crashed the box but narrowly missed net, hitting the side of the goal as the ball harmlessly bounced out of play.

As both clubs continued to scratch and claw at each other, it wasn’t until the 13th minute that Rays midfielder Lukasz Tumicz charged down the Fury end of the field before unleashing a speculative shot that went well over the Fury net.

Less than a minute later, Peter Wise effectively ended dangerous Fury sequence when he stopped a Phil Amahazion point blank shot in the box, keeping the score 0-0.

The Rays caught the Fury completely off guard in the 19th, when Gonsalves streaked down the left flank with nothing but wide open real estate ahead and sent the ball toward a hard charging Tumicz on the right, who took the pass and drew the lone Fury defender before he crossed it right back to his teammate for the easy goal. 1-0, and the Rays took control.

The goal sparked the Rays attack, and they dominated possession in the following minutes, while Ottawa defenders charged and chased the ball all in vain for a large chunk of the first half.

In the 32nd minute, Danleigh Borman crossed a beautiful ball from the left to a sliding Gonsalves, who narrowly missed the connection, as the ball sailed inches away from the threatening boot of the former Toronto FC prospect.

As the Rays kicked off for the second frame, Ottawa came out attacking like the proverbial bat out of hell before the patient Rays dense neutralized the rather sloppy attack in the opening minutes. The Rays proceeded to launch counterattacks almost at will, as the Fury attack often disintegrated before the ball even reached the box.

In the 50th minute, Borman flicked a well-placed pass to Jeff Cameron, who broke down the left flank toward the Fury goal and cracked a shot that clanked off the right post.

The Rays continued to stymie the Ottawa defense, and the only answer provided to the patient and methodical attack was undisciplined aggression that displayed Ottawa’s unorganized defending tactics, leading to numerous fouls and three yellow cards issued before the 60 minute mark.

Quality scoring bids for the Fury were kept to minimum for most of the match until
the 85th minute, when an Ottawa corner kick flew into the box, prompting Wise to make an attempt at the ball. However, he was caught out of position and fell to the ground, as three Fury attackers battled for the loose ball before Fury forward William Beauge easily tapped the equalizer into the net with less than ten minutes left to play.

Any hope for the Rays to attain the game-winner came a minute into extra time, when midfielder Alonso Villasenor sent an immaculate feed to a gate-crashing Gonsalves before the striker knocked home the apparent go-ahead goal. But soon after celebrations commenced, the referee’s assistant waved his flag offside, thus stifling the last true chance the blue and gold had at earning three points at home, as the match ended in a 1-1 draw.

2007: A Soccer Odyssey

Readers,

In an effort to immerse myself in the many facets of the beautiful game I have yet to experience, I am planning an undertaking of less-than-monumental proportions; traversing along the pitches and plod fields on the Eastern Seaboard. All of this, in search of the eternal question: What is soccer?

No, my mother did not drop me when I was a babe. Why do you ask?

The plan: visit as many stops in and around the New England soccer scene. The general timeframe to accomplish the undertaking is from May to September. Below are the venues where I plan on making my presence known.

Because my schedule is chameleon-like to say the least, I can't, as of yet, specifiy the dates I'll be attending these sites. However, if you think that I should attend a specific game at the home of a fine club not listed, e-mail me, and you may convince me otherwise.

Here are the anticipated stops:

Vermont Voltage (PDL)
Rhode Island Stingrays (PDL)
New England Revolution (MLS)
Cape Cod Crusaders (PDL)
New England Mutiny (W-League)
Western Mass Pioneers (USL)
Fox Point Soccer (rec)
Mexican Soccer League (Providence, RI)
Carolina RailHawks or Northern Virgina FC

What do I hope to accomplish by endeavoring toward the nooks and crannies of where the game is played? To give an illustration - paint a portrait, yes, that sounds much more poetic -of what is soccer.

I won't reserve myself to large, bowl-like monoliths suitable for American football, tradeshows, concerts and national conventions. My eyes shall grace the smaller, more intimate valleys and neighborhoods where soccer is unspoiled. 22 guys, 2 goals, a ball and a pitch. That's all you need, really. During the past year, I've found the lovechild of these two passions intermarried: soccer and writing. It is my hope that in creating these illustrations, that I can convey what soccer is at these various venues.

Rays blank Volts, 4-0

The Rhode Island Stingrays exploded for four goals during their victory versus divisional rival Vermont Voltage on Saturday night, in a PDL match up that pitted two teams each searching for their first win of the 2007 season.

Early on, the Stingrays set the tempo by stringing precise passing sequences that thoroughly frustrated the Volts for much of the match.

Just how frustrated the Volts became with the passing clinic exhibited by the Rays was exemplified in the 27th minute, when James McCarron hard tackled Jonathan Pereira from behind, earning the Volt midfielder a red card and subsequent ejection.

Forced to play a man down, the Volts had their hands full with a Stingray attack that took advantage and dominated with several scoring opportunities soon after.

However, it wasn’t until the 44th minute that the Rays were able to put a point on the board. On a sudden break toward goal, Pereira sent a quick feed to Lukasz Tumicz, who streaked down the right flank before unleashing a scorching shot past Volt goalkeeper Steve Hennessey that gave the Rays the 1-0 advantage before the end of the half.

It was an uphill battle for the Volts to keep the Rays at bay in the second half. Volt manager Bo Vuckovic tried his best to hedge the potent Rays attack with fresh-legged substitutes.

Nonetheless, the Volts only had their backs pressed further to the wall in the 50th minute, when Marlon Giraldo aimed and fired shot from 25 yards out that ricocheted off the crossbar, momentarily depriving the home side of goal number two.

Another opportunity materialized in the 55th minute, when Jeffrey Gonsalves crashed through an exasperated Volt defense and flicked a quick shot into the back of the net, giving the home side their second goal of the game.

Minutes later, in the 58th minute, Jimmy Hernandez raced down the right flank before sending in a looping cross to a wide open Giraldo, who sat comfortably at the top of the box completely unmarked. After clinking the crossbar minutes earlier, Giraldo did not miss this time around, as he took a touch and fired the shot into the Voltage goal for the 3-0 lead.

The Rays continued their relentless siege of the Voltage end of the field, and continually poked and prodded through a back line that had been dismantled by an aggressive attack.

During the 72nd minute, Rays manager Mario Pereira made an unorthodox goalkeeper substitution when he replaced Joshua Ford with Peter Wise. Yet, the unconventional swap would pay dividends later on in the closing minutes.

As if to reward the home crowd for braving through the damp and cold conditions, the Rays capped off their goal scoring exhibition in the 76th minute, when Tumicz planted himself in the box and spun two defenders before cracking shot into the upper reaches of the Voltage goal for his second goal of the game, and the 4-0 lead for the Rays.

With the Rays clutching to the shutout during the waning minutes of the match, the Volts were awarded a penalty kick in the 83rd minute after some aggressive tackling on the part of the Rays defenders.

After electing to take the kick, Volt forward Matt Stedman launched the dead ball to the left of Wise, who soared to make an incredible two-handed stop on the point-blank missile, thus preserving the 4-0 shutout win for the home team.

Stingrays speared by Crusaders, 4-0

The Stingrays season-opening road trip made a stop on the Cape Wednesday night, as the club looked for its first win of the infant season. Instead, they were handily beaten by the Cape Cod Crusaders, 4-0, at Barnstable High School Stadium in Hyannis, MA.

In addition to seeking their first win, the Rays were also looking to register their first goal of the season as well, after being shut out by Long Island four days before. Last year's club scored a remarkable 39 total goals last year (2.43 per game), and their anemic output thus far may be a testament to the challenges of opening on the road.

The Crusaders received their first goal in the 11th minute from Dwight Barnett off a Stanley Nyzamba feed, giving the home side an early one-goal lead.

Undaunted, the Rays hunkered down, and limited the perennial PDL powerhouse to the one-goal advantage through the first three-quarters of the match, despite the home side unleashing 13 shots during the game.

However, the roof caved in completely for Mario Pereira's boys late in the second half, as the Crusaders scored three goals in the final 16 minutes of the match, and secured the 4-0 victory over the Rays.

The Rays will look to turn around their fortunates with some home cooking on Saturday night, as they face their divisional rival, the Vermont Voltage, at Pierce Field. The match will begin at 7:30pm. Great seats are still available!

Stingrays Drop Season-opener, 1-0, to Long Island

The RI Stingrays surrendered an early goal and were unable to to climb themselves out of the hole, as they fell to Long Island, 1-0 Saturday Night in New Hyde Park, NY.

In the 4th minute, Rough Rider defender Gary Sullivan gave the home club the early lead, forcing the Rays to play from behind for the remainder of the match.

Rays midfielder Geoffrey Cameron tried to spark an equalizer, leading the club with four shots on the evening, but none were able to find the back of the net, as the Rays dropped their season-opening PDL match before 963 fans at Michael
Tully Field.

The Rays continue their early-season roadstand on Wednesday, when they will face off against the Cape Cod Crusaders at Barnstable High School Stadium at 7:00pm. The Rays will begin their home schedule on Saturday, May 19 vs. Vermont at 7:30pm at Pierce Field in East Providence.

2007 Stingrays Season Preview

With warm weather finally upon us, spring (and by extension, soccer, of course) has indeed arrived.

Therefore, let us look ahead to the promise of warmer temps and later sunsets, as the following is a preview to the sunny days and warm summer nights of Stingrays soccer in ‘07.The ‘Rays, coming off a 6-8-2 record (20 points) in the New England Division of the Premier Development League, look to improve upon their 3rd place finish.

Despite narrowly missing the playoffs by four points last year, the team hopes to build on a foundation of returning veterans in an attempt to catapult the club to their first playoff appearance since 1998.

That being said, the team should have no problems finding the back of the net, after scoring 39 total goals (2nd-best in the division) in 2006.

Last year's goal scoring efforts, led by the Rhody Ram tandem of Dawid Badecki (7 G, 2 A) and Danleigh Borman (7 G, 2 A), will both be returning to the team this year. Although the club will be without the services of assist leader Jeffrey Gonsalves, (selected 40th overall by Toronto FC in the 2007 MLS SuperDraft), another Rhody Ram duo of Geoffrey Cameron (4 G, 1 A) and Lukasz Tumicz (4 G, 2 A) will be returning to the club's potent midfield corps. Steady veteran Alonso Villasenor (CCRI) will be returning as well, and should be able incorporate his leadership abilities into a team which has, by and large, little turnover from the 2006 season.

The defending corps will see the returns of their two primary players in Matthew Britner (Brown) and Callum Bissett (URI), with key contributors Mario Aceta (Iona) and Adam Howart (URI) returning as well. Last year's defenders did well to shut down opposing teams, as they helped the club post five shutout wins in '06.

The goalkeeping situation appears, on paper, to be a two-man duel of returning keepers. David Semenza (Brown) and Brendan Fitzgerald (Duke) will both be back in goal for the ‘Rays this season. Semenza saw the bulk of the goalkeeping chores for the ‘Rays last year, going 5-7-2 with an even 2.00 GAA in 14 appearances. However, look for his understudy to stoke the fire of the keeper competition after going 2-1-0 with a spectacular 0.80 GAA last year in limited action.

Of course, with the club recently conducting tryouts to scout additional local talent, there will, no doubt, be fresh faces sporting the royal blue and white on the Pierce Field pitch this season.

There is no question that manager Mario Pereira has an eye for such talent, as he has seen two recent ‘Rays (the aforementioned Gonsalves and Nico Colaluca in 2005) jump to the ranks of MLS during this offseason alone.

So fear not, Stingray fans – the Saturday night soccer at Pierce Field this summer will sure to be just as entertaining as years past, as the ‘Rays begin their quest to achieve playoff glory in a matter of days.

Discovering the "True" Hometown Team

It was a Saturday afternoon.

One of those late-afternoons/early-evenings where the cloudy skies begin to darken, as if Mother Nature can't decide on whther it should be late-day or early-night. Then, the clouds began to burst with rain.

A cloudy, rainy late-Spring afternoon, and as is protocol for such soggy Saturdays, I found myself going to the mall in an attempt to get myself out of the house.

After spotting a red and blue polo at The Gap, I headed onto 95 North from Warwick en route to my abode. Upon the interstate's Atwells Ave. bend, I spotted the bright beacons shining amid the dark gray backdrop of heavy rain clouds.

There, across Narragansett Bay, I could discern that these glowing light towers were that of Pierce Field, the all-purpose sports stadium in central East Providence. The field is locally known as the home of the high school football team, the Townies, but on this early evening, a different kind of football was being played.

As my curiosity took over and began to steer the wheel of my Acura toward Exit 4 in East Providence toward Pierce Field, I wondered whether the heavy showers were enough to postpone a soccer game I thought would have surely been called off.

I found myself in the field's parking lot, and peered through the corner chain-link fence. Both teams were most definitely playing, as I caught a glimpse of a soggy ball lazily bouncing and sliding on an equally soggy pitch. I couldn't believe that a game could be played in the middle of a driving rainstorm, on a field quickly turning into a virtual swamp before my eyes.

After being drenched in the rain for two minutes debating whether it was worth the $8.00 admission to become a human sponge, I raced back to the dry confines of my car, took one last glimpse of monsoon soccer, and drove back home. This was my quick and rain-soaked introduction to Stingrays soccer.

Naturally, I became curious to the idea of soccer in my own backyard. Whenever such curiosity strikes, my accomplice in crime is Google, and thus, I searched for the stingray site. There it was...along with the schedule, detailing the next game, which would take place the following Wednesday. Barring any other subtropical-like storms, I made it a point to at least show up and take in a match.

Much to my disappointment, under the omnipresent gray skies and wet weather of early-June, a sign posted on the entrance stated that the game was postponed until July 22. Argh! My curiosity would have to wait until a week later, June 14, before I could finally watch the local 11 take to the field.

Well, June 14 finally came, as I handed over a Hamilton, and made my way past the cozy souvenir and concession stand in the corner of the stadium. Along the concrete surroundings, I strolled down the concrete walkway, the game just underway, with a full view of the white and yellow jerseys scurrying for the ball. With almost the entire seating confines at my full viewing disposal, I took a seat on the upper-most bench, perfectly aligned with the center circle. There were maybe few dozen spectators there as well; enhancing the ambience of what is essentially small-town soccer. There were fans of the opposing team, the Vermont Voltage, there as well, imploring their squad to the ball forward on the counterattack.


The night, although somewhat cool, was far more perfect than the earlier rainstorm that had engulfed the region only 2 weeks prior.

The Rays took an early 2-0 advantage, only to see that seemingly insurmountable lead disappear in extra time. Two quick back-to-back goals within minutes and suddenly the game was tied, 2-2. With just over two minutes remaining, the Rays barely hung on and sweated out what should have been an easy win, and instead taking the one point for the tie. If this was the kind of action that normally took place, then I was in for quite a ride.

And an interesting ride it was indeed – although I only attended three more games that year, through the course of these matches, my sports heart grew especially fond of the squad.

This team, which had been playing right in my own hometown for 11 years prior to my discovery, increased my love for the game of soccer. This year, I will become a season ticket holder for the first time in my life, for any team in any sport. It’s the least I can do to show my appreciation to a team that absolutely deserves it.