The La Salle Rams defeated the South Kingstown Rebels on Wednesday night at Old Mountain Field in Wakefield, Rhode Island.
La Salle, ranked No. 1 in Rhode Island Division I boys soccer, came into the game ready to show why they are at the top. The Rams came out hot, putting intense pressure on the Rebels from the beginning.
First Half
Just nine minutes into the game, La Salle senior captain No. 11, Chase Deffley dribbled past multiple Rebels defenders and scored an early goal for the Rams.
The Rams continued to attack, and just minutes later, another senior captain — No. 10 Nate Jackson — got into the box and doubled La Salle’s lead. His shot brushed past the goalkeeper and slowly rolled into the net.
Although the Rebels created a few opportunities, they struggled to break through La Salle’s defense and could not find the back of the net.
South Kingstown senior captain and goalkeeper No. 0 Lincoln Dozois made several impressive saves throughout the night, but the Ram’s offense continued to put pressure on the Rebels.
As the first half began to wind down, La Salle found another gear, scoring two more goals in the final 10 minutes.
The first came off a corner kick, when Jackson sent the ball into the box and found Deffley. The senior captain rose above the defense and headed the ball into the net for his second goal of the night.
The Rams were not finished — Senior No. 19 Langston Neary crashed the net and used his body to fight through the defense, scoring La Salle’s fourth goal and giving the Rams a 4-0 lead heading into halftime.
Despite the comfortable lead, the Rams head coach Mario Pereira reminded his team at halftime, “We still need to try to control the game.” His message made it clear that La Salle still had another 40 minutes to play and could not afford to let up.
Second Half
The Rams followed their coach’s message and came out strong to start the second half. Just a couple of minutes after the break, the Rams third captain senior No. 22 Chase Birkett fired a shot from the top of the box, adding another goal to La Salle’s lead.
South Kingstown finally got its chance to answer when the Rebels were awarded a penalty kick.
Junior No. 8 Brandon Tisdale stepped up to take the penalty and calmly found the back of the net, giving the Rebels their first goal of the game.
The Rams answered right away, scoring their last goal of the night when junior No. 24 Tullo Gulzard Silva found the back of the net.
Postgame
After the game, Pereira said he was “very happy” with his team’s performance, adding that “they gave it their best.”
The Rams improve to 7-1-3, remaining atop of the Division 1 boys soccer ranks.
Written by Samantha Shifrin
