A spark off the bench, coupled with a good bounce, was enough to get Deering High’s boys’ soccer season started on the right foot.

Rams senior Bill Turahimbawe scored 16 minutes into the game and Deering made the lead stand up in a 1-0 victory Thursday night over Scarborough.

“We put in some substitutions to try and change the tempo,” said Deering Coach Joel Costigan. “We put Bill in at the wide spot. He’s someone who has a lot of speed and can really push it.

“Right away when we changed tempo, I think it maybe caught their outside back off guard, and (Turahimbawe) was able to get a one-vs.-one in the corner and just got a good attempt toward the goal.”

From near the end line, Turahimbawe sent a ball back toward the middle of the field in front of the net and saw it ricochet off a Scarborough defender and past the goalie.

“He got down the end line a little bit and looked to cross it to someone,” Scarborough Coach Mark Diaz. “It hit off our player’s chest and went in.

Advertisement

“Can’t take anything away from Deering; (Turahimbawe) worked hard and got himself in that position. It’s a tough break for us, but we also created some chances and have to do a better job at finishing.”

Opportunities were limited throughout, as neither offense allowed many chances for attacks on net.

“Defensively, it felt like a playoff atmosphere,” said Diaz. “Both teams really sold out and worked very hard. At times, obviously, it looked like the first game and got a little sloppy, but the work rate was great for both sides.”

Added Costigan: “We didn’t execute everything the way we wanted to. We kind of played ping pong and kicked the ball back and forth, and that’s not really our game. Scarborough won probably 99 percent of 50-50 balls. Balls even in our box, they were getting to it before we did and gave us a scare. There was some perseverance. Guys might not have won the first, but they definitely tried to come back and win the second. Guys were still moving and no one was standing around watching on either side.”

Deering’s defensive effort was anchored by sophomore keeper Max Morrione, who turned in a shutout in his first varsity game.

“You wouldn’t have known that,” Diaz said of Morrione. “He did well. It seemed like he had command back there.”

“He’s a sophomore and he’s really young and doesn’t have a ton of experience in that spot,” added Costigan. “He’s making good progress, and we hope that he continues to improve and be a dominant athlete in the box.”

The victory marked the second straight season Deering has bested Scarborough 1-0.

“It’s been good to get them the last two seasons,” said Costigan. “They had our number a little bit before that, and they’re always filled with good athletes and really prepared. It’s definitely a good win to start the season.”


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.

filed under: