Knights Tripped-up by Tribunes

09.24.18

Warwick, R.I. – September 24, 2018: The CCRI Knights men's soccer team returned home for a Saturday afternoon match against the Tribunes of Monroe Community College. Both teams were held scoreless in first half but Monroe was able to net three goals in 11 minutes and saw out the game from there. The loss drops CCRI's season record to 1-2 with a 1-0 record in Region XXI play.

After coming off a tightly contested win against Holyoke last week, the Knights wanted to keep the momentum going. The Knights came out with good energy led by Co-captain Dante Turano (Westerly, RI) who was determined to play hard and set the tone for the game. Elton Soares Sequiera (Central Falls, RI) and Jacob Leander (West Warwick, RI) held the backline well for most of the game. The Knights offense led by Austin Degiacomo (Westerly, RI) and Edmilo Goncalves (Praia, Cape Verde) had some chances early on in the game but were not able to finish. Head Coach Gabe Toro put in Prince Sawyer (Pawtucket, RI) and Randy Kouadio (East Providence, RI) to infuse some speed into the attack but the midfielders were not able to get into any kind of rhythm and were not quite as affective as they usually are.

A lack of touches of the ball made it hard for them to make their mark in the game. At the 62nd minute there was a mistake in coverage in the back which led to a break away for Monroe's Isaiah Lee. Elton Soares Sequiera chased down the Lee and attempted to tackle the ball from behind, however the referee deemed that there was contact with the striker and awarded the Tribunes a penalty kick. Lee converted from the spot to give Monroe the 1-0 lead.

About a minute later the Monroe squad scored again after a mis-kicked clearance from the back fell in front of a Monroe player which was taken advantage of and ended in the second goal. At this point the Knights had some fatigue setting in and some injuries. Isaiah Lee added to his goal and assist with another goal in the 73rd minute. The final score was 3-0 with Monroe taking the victory.

Coach Toro urged his players to learn from the mistakes and continue to develop their knowledge and skills as they push on to the next game. Coach Toro pointed out to his players that their possession and midfield play needs to find a groove and rhythm in the games. Players like Mouhamadou Diouf (Dakar, Senegal), Delpio Alves (East Providence, RI) and Jonatan Alvarez (La Sue d'Urgell, Catalonia) need to control tempo and be able to create more with their passing game in order for the team to be more successful. Luckily the team has shown signs of being able to accomplish this and since it is still early in the season, they should be able to take it to the next level.

The Knights next game is on the road, Saturday, September 29th at 3pm against the Southern Maine Community College Seawolves in Portland, Maine.

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The Community College of Rhode Island, New England's largest comprehensive community college, enrolls nearly 15,000 students in credit courses and thousands more in non-credit and job training classes. Its athletic program boasts 12 varsity programs and an academic support program for all student-athletes.