Marlboro 3, Algonquin 0: Panthers respond with 3rd straight win

NORTHBORO — Just 12 days ago, the Marlboro boys soccer team suffered a three-goal shutout loss to Westboro, and head coach Kevin Hardy thought it would be a big moment in his team's season.

Following that game, Hardy talked about his team about either bouncing back from the embarrassing loss, or having it send them into a tailspin. It appears the Panthers have decided to take the high road.

With a 3-0 shutout win over Algonquin in a Mid-Wach divisional crossover game on Saturday morning, Marlboro won its third straight game since that fateful loss.

The Panthers are now 9-1-1 and have already clinched a postseason berth. Since the loss to the Rangers, Marlboro has also only given up two goals in its last three games.

The Tomahawks, meanwhile, fell to 5-3-2.

"I'm very proud of how the guys have come back from that loss to Westboro," Hardy said following Saturday's win. "They refocused and that's what you like to see after a loss. I don't like to say that there is such thing as a good loss, but after that game they've really refocused and we're playing better soccer now."

The Panthers led 1-0 early thanks to the first of two goals from Andre Farias. In just the seventh minute, a Marlboro throw in to the right of Algonquin goalie Drew Cammarano (6 saves) was deflected, and before a Tomahawk defender, or Cammarano, could get to it, Farias jumped and headed the ball in for the quick one-goal lead.

In the 35th minute, Algonquin's inability to clear the ball hurt the Tomahawks again as Marlboro's Vinny Veiga was all alone on the right post as a loose ball was batted around in front of the net. It finally ended up on Veiga's foot and he tapped it into the bottom right corner for the two-goal lead heading into halftime.

With just under 30 seconds left in the first half, Veiga had a chance to make it 3-0 but drilled the ball off the crossbar before time expired on the first 40 minutes.

"We did a good job of keeping the ball today, and when you keep the ball good things happen," added Hardy.

As the second half began Algonquin increased the pressure on the Panther defense. The Tomahawks earned four second-half corners (six for the game) and hit several posts and crossbars, but just couldn't convert as Marlboro goalie Pedro Guerrieri (12 saves) stood tall.

"Soccer's a really frustrating sport," said Algonquin head coach Ken Morin. "You can play well and be at the back end of a result.

“In the first half we weren't very sharp, but coming into the second half we adjusted and realized if we pressured them we could force them to make mistakes in the back, and we really ramped up our pressure.

"It was just one of those days and at one point it could have been 2-2. I've won games where you get outshot 23-1 and win 1-0 and you're almost embarrassed to win the game. I don't think we played badly. We played OK. We did some nice things but that's soccer."

In the 68th minute, Marlboro put the game away when Farias raced up the right sideline with the ball and blasted a shot that bounced off the crossbar and came straight down into the back of the net for the 3-0 advantage.

"The team is playing like a family right now," Farias said through translation with the help of teammate Joao Mendes. "We're doing a great job of passing it around. No one is being selfish and that's why we've been as successful as we are."

"I just think it's practice," Mendes added when asked how his team has turned things around so quickly after the Westborough game. "We realized that we didn't show up to play that game, and we knew we were a lot better than that and we're starting to play like it."

While things have turned around, Hardy cautions that there is still a long way to go.

"Luckily I have a lot of guys who are competitive and want to win," Hardy said. "We're not really that good yet. We have to get a lot better, but I know I have a group of guys here who will continue to stay motivated."