BRAINTREE — The old saying “defense turns into offense” still holds true through the world of sports – especially for the Archbishop Williams High girls soccer team.
The youthful Bishops (7-2) collected their second straight win by shutting out Bishop Stang (5-3-1) on Wednesday, 3-0. With both Catholic Central Large teams halfway into the season each division game becomes more crucial.
“We play in a very competitive league,” said Archies coach Gordie McClay. “Stang is very good, to have a nice win like this is very huge and a boost for us in the CCL. Just really a nice way to get to that halfway point.”
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With seven saves by junior goalkeeper Isabella Theroux, she played a key part of keeping the Spartans completely off the board.
“It feels great,” said Theroux. “We had a loss against Bishop Feehan, and to bounce back from a tough game like that and win 3-0 feels awesome.”
“Our goaltender Bella came up big,” said McClay. “They had a couple of opportunities where she came in and did a great job.”
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Although Theroux didn’t let a single goal through and has had a few shutout performances this season, she still gets a rush when playing.
“Honestly the whole time I’m thinking ‘Get the ball, get the ball!,” said Theroux. “It’s very nerve-wracking but it’s really relieving when you pull through and make the save.”
“She’s so amazing,” said Bishops forward Maeve White of her keeper. “She has a couple of clean sheets. Two big saves today.”
White, the sophomore from Braintree, put the first point up on the board with 31:10 left in the first half with the help of an assist from Ciara Delaney.
“Maeve is a special player,” said McClay. “I love having her on the team, she works hard she can not only put it on the net but also came back and helped us out when our midfield collapsed.”
In addition to scoring off of a defensive play, sophomores Kailyn St. Ives and Ciara Delaney both got steals and set up each other’s goals.
“It’s been a great 1-2 tandem,” said McClay. “In years past we’ve depend on one and we haven’t had to do that. Kailyn in the middle as our attacking mid, she’s done a great job. Ciara has been that funnel and pushing balls through.”
All three of Archies’ scores came from sophomores. After halftime ended with the Bishops up 1-0, they looked to add onto that lead. With 36:31 left in the second half, White kicked a close range shot that Stang goalkeeper Megan Pimental initially stopped. Delaney was there to finish off the rebound to double the Bishops lead. Pimental finished with 12 saves.
To close out the win, St. Ives dribbled down the field by herself and beat Pimential to drop in an insurance tally with five to play.
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“Our defense did well,” said McCay. “We were able to clear some balls, do a bit of passing, and make nice moves up the midfield. They’re a big strong team but we held our own. We haven’t always been able to do that in the past. This year we’re able to be more physical.”
With such a competitive and tight race in the division, this loss hurts the Spartans. Stang is looking to get back on track. The Spartans opened the season with a 4-1 record, but have gone 1-2-1 since.
“We go down 1-0 early and it’s tough,” said Bishop Stang coach Bobby Shields. “We haven’t played in five days, but no excuse. Either you come back refreshed or you come back out of sorts. We came back out of sorts.”
Both teams will see each other one more time on Oct. 24, this time in Spartan territory.
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