LYNN — The St. Mary’s boys soccer team got off to a hot start and never looked back, beating Cardinal Spellman 7-0 Wednesday night at Manning Field.
Olushola George, Thiago DeOliveira and Nolan Perez each scored two goals for the Spartans. Joseph Thongsythavong added one goal.
“There were a lot of different goal scorers for us tonight but especially a lot of good assists too,” St. Mary’s coach Mike D’Agostino said. “Ryan Fraher got a nice assist and Jackson Nickolau got a great assist. It’s just good to see a lot of people on the board making plays for us.”
With a 5-0 halftime lead the Spartans also had the opportunity to get some younger players time out on the field in the second half.
“We played 34 kids tonight in total,” D’Agostino said. “With the sixth and seventh graders that were out there it helps build the program and build the numbers. To see a lot of younger kids get out there and help build the St. Mary’s boys soccer program is what we’re looking for. I was pleased to see that.”
The offense started early in the game for St. Mary’s, as George and DeOliveira each had a pair of goals in the first half.
Less than five minutes into the game a DeOliveira corner kick got through to the front of the net where George finished the play with a hard shot to put the Spartans ahead 1-0.
With 32:41 remaining in the first half, Nolan Perez kicked a perfectly placed ball across the Spellman half of the field which DeOliveira finished with a header goal to extend the St. Mary’s lead to 2-0.
George added his second goal on an aggressive defensive play in front of the Spellman net, stealing possession from a defender and scoring to put the Spartans ahead 3-0.
“Olushola and Thiago when they can shoot, they can shoot and they put the ball in the the net,” D’Agostino said. “They find the back of the net and it’s huge. They are great up front together.”
DeOliveira scored again with 20 minutes left in the first half with a hard shot that was initially saved by the Spellman goalkeeper but managed to find the back of the net on a second bounce. Thongsythavong added a header goal a few minutes later to give St. Mary’s a 5-0 lead before halftime.
The Spartans piled it on early again in the second half thanks to two goals from Perez. The first came on a hard shot inside the box to give St. Mary’s a 6-0 lead. Then, around five minutes later Perez slipped by a few Spellman defenders and ripped a shot inside the near post to extend the Spartan lead to 7-0.
St. Mary’s (12-1-2, 9-0-1 CCL) hosts Malden Catholic Monday (7:15).
“Being 12-1-2 will be huge to help us in seeding,” D’Agostino said. “Spellman is a decent team they’re just hurting a little bit with numbers.
“Overall we had a great week of soccer beating Archbishop Williams and Spellman,” D’Agostino added. “Playing 14 in a row without losing is amazing and I’m pleased with the way we are moving the ball around.”