In the big picture, the start for the Burlington High boys soccer team hasn’t been all that bad.
No, the Red Devils didn’t beat Winchester in their season opener last Wednesday and BHS also fell to Waltham by a 1-0 score in Game 2, but coach Andrew Deane has seen plenty of good things from the Devils to open the campaign.
“We did a fantastic job committing to building from the back and possessing,” said Deane after the Waltham game. “It really felt like we were in control of the game.”
BHS played well and had plenty of offensive chances against the Hawks, but were never able to get on the scoreboard.
“We controlled the game, but didn’t bury our chances,” added the BHS coach. “We’re headed in the right direction.”
The match against Winchester ended up with a deceiving final score.
Burlington trailed only 1-0 at halftime and had a corner kick early in the second half that could have tied the score. Winchester scored moments after that corner kick and then added two goals late in the contest.
In the first half, shortly after the Sachems took the lead, Devil senior Nicolo Emanuel had a nice shot saved by the WMHS keeper.
“It was a solid effort from our guys,” Deane said after playing Winchester. “I think the biggest piece that we lost today was finding our own game. When our backs were against the wall and there was a little bit of pressure today, we kind of got away from how we like to play the game. It’s just reminding the guys that they need to trust each other and work together. It takes 80 minutes to win in this league.”
Burlington has 15 seniors on its roster led by tri-captains Connor Herrera, James Burke and Alex Healy.
“We have lots of senior leadership and three fantastic captains,” Deane said. “We have a lot of first-year starters, but they’ve gelled really well. Once they can understand how they can work best together, we’re going to see a lot of success.”
Deane said each of his captains brings something special to the table for BHS.
“Connor is playing 80 minutes in the middle of the field,” the coach explained. “That’s not something that’s easy to do for a top-class players.”
Deane credited Burke with sparking the Red Devil defense.
“He’s leading a brand-new back line,” the coach said. “His ability to not only watch his own play and where he is, he’s commanding our back line as well and making them feel more comfortable.”
Healy has been a spark on offense for Burlington.
“He is just a positive kid working up and down that line,” said Deane. “He’s a great example for us and he’s always working hard. He’s just someone that we want our guys to emulate attitude wise.”
Senior Zachary Aloisi, a solid field player for Burlington last season, is the new goalkeeper for Burlington.
Other 12th graders on the roster include Kindly Augustin Jr., Tyler Basile, Edoardo Bassani, Emanuel, John Mirra, Joseph Mirra, Ryan Moradel, Sam Parkin, Simon Razzaghi, Cooper Visco and Theo Visco.
Burlington plays Reading, Lexington and Stoneham this week, visiting the Rockets on Monday at 6 p.m., hosting the Minutemen on Wednesday at 4:15 p.m. and going to Stoneham on Friday at 4:15 p.m.
*Check out the owols.org Facebook page for photos*
