Hawks Soar over Eagles and Townies on Back-to-Back Nights

by Cam Brennan

After a crushing 3-1 loss to the South Kingston Rebels on Tuesday of last week, the Hawks were set to square off against the Barrington Eagles on Wednesday. The Eagles came into the game with a 3-4-0 record, while the Hawks came in with a 2-2-2 record. The game was postponed to the next day , however, due to the weather conditions.

The field was still in sloppy condition the following day, which led to understandably sloppy play by both teams through the first ten minutes of the match. The Hawks finally settled in, and the opportunities soon followed, beginning with a close-call of a shot that rang of the crossbar in the fifteenth minute. Just fourteen minutes later, senior Captain Luis Lawrence’s volley attempt was denied by the right post and then covered up the Eagle goalie Conner Mellen. Hendricken’s defense was stout, as it gave up no opportunities in the first half on which the Eagles could capitalize.

Tied 0-0, both teams settled into what they realized would be a defensive battle and that the first team to score would win. Sensing that scoring opportunities might be scarce the rest of the way, junior Nick Williams led a great ball to senior Brennan Martin, and Martin took care of the rest. The goal was scored in the sixtieth minute, giving the Hawks the lead. Junior Craig Conway thought he’d added the Hawks’ second goal of the night when he hit the inner post, but the ball rolled along the mouth of the goal, hit the opposite post, and was stopped by the keeper. With just minutes remaining, Barrington had a free kick attempt outside the box. Amado had already saved six shots on the night and was determined to save another. The free kick sailed above the crossbar, and the game ended soon after that. With the narrow win over the Eagles, the Hawks moved to 3-2-2.

The Hawks had no time to celebrate, because they were back in action less than twenty-four hours later. The East Providence Townies were coming to town with a 2-4-0 record as our Homecoming opponents. On the busiest day in The Network ‘s short but glorious history, Darren Squillace and Colton Capobianco were behind the mic for the game. As the broadcast and the game got underway, EP gave the Hawks a scare, putting a shot off the post in the first few minutes of the game. Refusing to be shaken by this early sequence of events, Brennan Martin, the hero from the night before, returned the scare but shot wide of the post in the twenty-seventh minute. As the half dwindled down to its final minutes, freshman Chukwuma Onyejose gave the Hawks the lead as he bounced a ball past the goalie. The half ended on that goal, giving the Hawks a 1-0 lead over the Townies.

As the second half got under way, Hendricken dominated the time of possession. Junior Alex Appolonia extended the Hawks’ lead in the fifty-fifth minute by adding a header in off a Lucas Gesmundo corner shot, a goal that can be seen here:

With a lead of 2-0, the Hawks focused on defense, allowing the Townies to control the pace of the game for part of the half. Chukwuma nearly got on the board again in the seventy-seventh minute but was denied by the Townie keeper. The match would end minutes later, giving the Hawks a 2-0 win and moving them up in the standings with a 4-2-2 record, or fourteen points.

The Hawks’ season continues Tuesday as the East Greenwich Avengers come to Dennis Hayden Stadium. The Avengers are coming off a 3-0 win against the Cumberland Clippers and will carry a 3-3-2 record into the match. The game will be carried live, right here on The Network, with Stone Freeman and myself on the call for this highly-anticipated midseason match.