PEABODY — Despite being down five starters due to injury Wednesday evening, the Bishop Fenwick boys soccer team stepped up to the challenge and put together a scrappy 1-0 victory over non-conference foe Central Catholic at Donaldson Stadium. It was Jack Andrews who scored the winning goal for the Crusaders, scoring on an impressive back-heel kick with just two minutes to play in the game.
“It was an incredibly exciting game and it was a hard-fought win,” said Fenwick coach Tony Enos. “Missing five starters is a tough thing to overcome, and to have five freshmen step in and pick up the slack is a big ask from me. But the guys really came through and played well to get us the win.”
A number of players stepped up to deliver the victory for Fenwick, including Andrews, goalkeeper Liam Foley, Aidan Dwyer, Tyler Mullen and Ryan Noci.
“We had so many guys step into critical positions and make plays for us,” said Enos. “To see those guys step up and play the kinds of games they played, it was special to watch.”
The game was a scoreless draw for 78 minutes of game time, until Fenwick earned an indirect kick in the offensive zone with two minutes left. Due to the new rules that deem corner kicks illegal unless the ball is first kicked across the ground, the ball found a few Fenwick feet before the ball was launched into the box. Andrews, in a moment of great awareness, got his body in position and redirected the ball off the back of his heel and into the net for the game-winning goal.
“It was just a great piece of awareness by Jack and he really capitalized,” said Enos. “That’s something we’ve been practicing in terms of how to play these indirect kicks, and we really cashed in on that opportunity.”
One of the big differences in the game was the way that Fenwick dominated possession despite not getting a ton of scoring opportunities. The simple act of keep-away was able to stop Central Catholic from gaining any type of momentum.
“One of the things we’ve really been working on is possession, and it’s a big part of our success when we are playing well,” said Enos.
Up next for Fenwick (2-0-1) is a road game against Bishop Feehan Saturday afternoon (4).
“The best part about (Wednesday) was that even though we had five guys out with injuries, they were all here supporting the guys in their place,” said Enos. “This is a team that plays together, steps up for each other and holds each other accountable. It seems to be a really good formula for success so far.”