| Sutton | 4 |
|---|---|
| Abp. Williams | 0 |
WORCESTER — The Sutton boys’ soccer team blanked Archbishop Williams, 4-0, Saturday at WPI to capture their fourth straight Division 4 state title.
“To be able to end it like this is just amazing,” said senior forward Kevin Rothermich. “We all worked hard throughout all three years to get to where we are. To be able to say as seniors we get to end on top is just incredible.”
Just two minutes in, Rothermich opened the scoring when he broke in on net and scored after a feed from junior Dale Dubinsky.
Sutton kept up the pressure from there and did not allow the Bishops to cross midfield until the 32-minute mark.
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The Bishops only had one shot — a free kick from 30 yards — in the opening frame.
“I don’t know if my keeper had to make any saves, said coach Michael Elster. “Again, our defense has always been very strong. I felt pretty good about it.”
In a physical tilt, the Sammies needed players that were strong on the ball, and Dubinsky and Rothermich obliged.
Sutton peppered Bishop goalkeeper Benjamin Murphy, and Eric Bater connected with Matthew Vallaro off a corner to extend the lead to 2-0 with 12:03 remaining.
But the lead could have been more. Late in the half, James McCleery just missed on a header attempt and Dakota Payne fanned on a wide-open shot in front of the net.
Sutton connected early in the second half off an own goal. Jordan Elster inbounded a kick into the wind from about 30 yards. As it sailed toward the net, a Bishops defender tried to head the ball away only to have it land in his net.
As frustration set it, play became chippy. At the 28-minute mark, the referees started handing out yellow cards: five for AB and two for Sutton.
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Cole Acocelli scored on an assist from Jordan Elster after an AB player was red-carded.
When the clock finally struck zero, it was relief for one side, joy for the other.
“That’s the toughest part, living up to all the expectations,’’ said Jordan Elster. “And so far, we’ve lived up to them every year. It’s just simply amazing.”