Warriors Clinch Tournament Spot with Victory

At a road game at Case on Wednesday, the Seekonk High School boys varsity soccer team clinched a MIAA tournament spot with a decisive 5-0 win.

The Warriors seemed to have the match in hand from the start, scoring what would prove to be the game winner at the 9-minute mark. Junior James Eline scored from the left side, dropping the ball in over the head of the Case keeper.

After senior Dan Saggal took a pass from senior Alex Branco, also on the left, but was rebuffed by a stellar effort from the keeper, Eline scored his second at the 14-minute mark, taking a spot-on pass from Saggal right down the middle of the field. Case mounted several nice efforts in getting the ball into Seekonk's defensive end, only to be met by the dependable defense of juniors Nick Smith and Mike Pariseau.

Junior keeper Tim Braunsdorf made his first save at the 24-minute mark, punching out a Case shot arced over his head. Pariseau cleared the ball and Seekonk brought it back downfield, pressuring Case until the half ended with a 2-0 score.

The Warriors continued their dominance in the second half, as eight minutes in freshman Amiel Lopez took an Eline pass from the left and headed it into the net. Minutes later, a corner kick from Branco worked perfectly as Saggal picked it out of a crowd and headed it in for the fourth goal. 

The Warriors maintained the pressure with Lopez and Branco forcing the keeper to make two punch saves as Seekonk controlled the ball in the Case end. Sophomores Aaron Branco and Chris Platt also tested the Case defense, with Platt playing a key part in the Seekonk offense.

Seekonk capped the game's scoring in the 73rd minute as Saggal unleashed a scorcher that hit the cross bar and bounced back into play. The younger Branco tapped it in for the goal, making the final 5-0.

The Warriors travel to Dighton-Rehoboth today for a make-up game. The regular season is scheduled to wrap up on Monday as Somerset-Berkley will come into town.