It was another blustery evening along Columbus Avenue, but there were highlights aplenty in the latest Boston City League boys soccer All-Star Game.
Seven different players netted goals, five coming in the second half Thursday night, as Team Teneus defeated Team Maher in a highly-contested 4-3 battle to cap the season at Northeastern.
The squads were managed by Tech Boston’s Roody Teneus and Tim Maher of New Mission. For Teneus, it was an exciting moment to be chosen to lead a team in a showcase that has continued to improve. To see his team come out on the winning end was simply a bonus.
“This is really good,” Teneus said. “That’s the reason when (the BCL) called me, I didn’t think twice about it. Seeing these young men out here, and seeing that the programs are actually growing. Pretty much all the schools have a JV team now, so we’re growing pretty fast. Then, seeing a lot of these young men playing together, really getting along and having fun is exciting. It’s really fun. It’s really good. I’m hoping that we can continue to grow, and that we can continue having these young men out here, being a part of something that is really big.”
The showcase featured a defensive battle to start, for the most part. In the 21st minute, play began to open up as Tech Boston’s Doodley Durandis chased a ball to the net. The senior saw an opportunity when the goalkeeper mishandled it and snatched it away. From there, the striker was able to fire a shot into the open twine as Team Teneus seized a 1-0 lead.
Later on in the 34th minute, C.A.S.H. standout Rochambeau Schedler Jr. drew a penalty kick as he was tripped up in the box. The junior midfielder converted the ensuing attempt, as Team Maher drew even at 1-all heading into the break.
During the halftime intermission, Maher was honored as the BCL Coach of the Year. After serving in the junior varsity ranks, he took over for Jose Gonzalez, who had helped build New Mission’s program in recent years. During Maher’s first season at the varsity level, he led the Titans to a 10-4-2 record and an appearance in the Div. 5 Round of 16.
“A huge honor,” Maher said. “A lot of great coaches, first year doing it. So, just feel really honored, feel really special to get to represent these All-Stars and these kids.”
In the 55th minute, Team Teneus was able to regain the lead with a highlight-reel play from East Boston standout David Alas. The senior corralled a pass in the box, then fired a shot through a defender’s legs and into the net to put his group back in front.
“I’m a lefty,” said Alas. “I was trying to go to my left, preferably. But then I saw he was going to predict it. So I went to the right foot. Then, when you shoot the ball, they’re obviously going to lunge, so I knew it was going to go through his legs. The keeper was very tall, so undershot (it). He didn’t save it.”
Team Maher had an answer later on in the 71st minute, as Latin Academy standout Giovanni Waterman fired home a shot from 20 yards out to tie things at 2-all, kickstarting a flurry of late goals from both teams.
Moments later in the 73rd minute, East Boston’s Santiago Mosquera found the cage with a shot to provide Team Teneus a 3-2 edge. They would tack on one more in the 77th minute, as Haciel Zelaya of Brighton finished a shot to push the lead to 4-2.
In the 79th minute, Tiago Sobral of O’Bryant buried a shot to bring Team Maher back within 4-3, but that was as close as his group could get on a night filled with great play by both sides.
Boston International players were not in attendance, as the school prepares to play in this weekend’s Div. 5 boys soccer championship. However, Jerry Registe was named the BCL Player of the Year after another incredible season.
“Really a lot of talent in this league,” Maher said. “Individual talent and team talent. We still see it with BI still playing in the state championship. A lot of teams do well in the states. A lot of teams get to go outside the Boston City League and perform really well against top competition. And it’s really fun to see all of these kids playing against each other in really high-level soccer.”
