By Adam Kysiak
Two goals in the first 10 minutes set the game early on.
A beautiful night at Lusitano Stadium culminated in an eventful 1-1 draw between the Western Mass Pioneers (5-2-0) and Black Rock FC (3-3-0). Within the first three minutes of the match, Jared Smith scored his first goal of the season off a corner kick; team captain Aiden Kelly was there to provide the assist.
Just five minutes later, defender Koki Hamada launched an aerial header into the back of the net off a free kick. This was the only shot on target that Black Rock had the entire night. Hamada was only the second away player to score at Lusitano Stadium this season.
Black Rock’s own Goalkeeper Benjamin Diffley covered every inch of the net, as he was in the right place at the right time on almost every cross and shot. He finished with four saves and over a dozen interceptions.
However, it was the Western Mass defense that tormented Black Rock, shutting down almost every opportunity. “The whole back four did good because they [had to deal with Pereda] and they performed really well,” said Head Coach Federico Molinari. “I really like what they did.”
Aiden Kelly was the anchor for the Pioneer backline, clearing the ball on every breakaway, including an incredible clutch tackle in the last two minutes of play to stop Black Rock from a goal-scoring opportunity. “He has [outstanding] leadership, he is good with his teammates… the way that he plays, I mean you saw that tackle at the end,” said Molinari. “He saved us.”
Western Mass played almost flawlessly on the attack until it was time to execute on the final shot. “We had too many opportunities, the chances were there, we couldn’t put it away,” Molinari said. The goal-scoring opportunities were everywhere for the Pioneers, as some easy shots just could not find the other side of the goal line. Open net shots, as well as point-blank headers off corner kicks, could not strike properly. “We dominated the game and got too many chances, we just couldn’t score. That is a part of the game; sometimes we have four to five shots and put them all in and sometimes we only put one in.”
The Pioneers will need to convert those chances against their next opponent if they want to keep first place on the Northeastern table. Western Mass (17 points) will face off against Vermont Green FC (16 points) at Virute Field on Tuesday, June 17th at 7:00 p.m. The Match can be watched on NBC Sports Engine online.
