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Lincoln soccer team returns to Div. II finals |
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Thursday, 05 November 2009 |
By BRENDAN McGAIR
Sports writer
WARWICK – The glass slipper still fits.
Lincoln, the darlings of the past two postseasons, is still alive, still breathing and still can be referenced as defending Division II champions. Come Saturday afternoon at Rhode Island College, the Lions hope to swap “Cinderella” with “back-to-back champs.”
Lincoln returned to the title game after cutting down to size yet another higher-seeded club, the latest victim being Central in a 3-0 final in the semifinals on the campus of Bishop Hendricken on a chilly Wednesday night. Representing the other half of the finals bracket is East Greenwich, the Avengers eliminating Smithfield by a 4-0 count.
Lincoln’s three tallies came in a nine-minute span in the first half, senior Jeremy Rhault depositing two in the back of the net while speedster Emanuel Asiedu, one of the heroes from last week’s shocking victory against top-seeded Shea, provided the team’s third goal. Goalie Evan Walsh stonewalled his way to six saves for the Lions, who outshot the Knights, 14-6.
For the second time this postseason, the Lions turned the tables on an opponent after going winless against them during the regular season. Lincoln went 0-1-1 against Central, but in fairness, both those games took place in September, a point in the season head coach Victor Alves admits he was still seeking out solutions. The Lions went without a point in their opening four contests before rallying down the stretch to post a 7-7-2 mark – good enough to nail down the fifth seed in the north.
“We put it together towards the end when it counted the most,” said Alves as his team seized the moment with a victory lap. “They deserve it.
“We started off a little slow. We had some new boys come in and some guys adjust to new roles,” Alves continued. “It’s just a matter of finding the right combination of players. It took us a little while to click, but the boys believed in themselves and so did I. That’s why I think we’re still (playing).”
Lincoln’s game plan coming in, according to Alves, “Was to move the ball as quick as possible. (Central, the third seed also hailing from the north) really tries to get the ball to No. 20 (Byron Garcia) and we feel with our backline we matchup with anybody.
“Our focus is to obviously win the balls at midfield, and we did, we contained (the Knights) pretty well. The transition game is important for us and to mark up when we lose the ball.”
No Lion benefited more from the aggressive style Alves employs than Rhault. The senior boomed two shots past Central goaltender Carlos Avalos, the flurry coming within eight minutes.
“Jeremy is one of those players who has a lot in his tank,” praised Alves. “He’s a very smart and aggressive player and covers a lot of ground. It’s just a luxury to have a player like that.”
Asiedu, a junior, joined Rhault in the scoring column after finding himself surprisingly wide-open and the Central defense in a state of flux. All Asiedu had to do was calmly flick the ball in, which he did to give Lincoln a commanding three-goal bulge.
“Emanuel will create his own space,” said Alves about the diminutive striker. “His ability to get underneath the defender’s forearms is key.”
Asked to look ahead to East Greenwich, the top seed from the south, Alves answered, “They move the ball well and have some speed up top. We’ve played teams like that in our division. For us, being in the north, we see such a different style of players. It gives us chance to take a peak at the entire game.”
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 12 November 2009 )
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