DARTMOUTH — Landon Raposa remembered well how Dartmouth’s season came to an end the last two years with home losses in the first round.
Back in that setting Tuesday night at Dartmouth Memorial Stadium with a Division 2 first-round matchup against No. 25 Marshfield, Raposa ensured that didn’t happen again by being the ultimate difference-maker.
Raposa, who notched one goal and two assists, overwhelmed the Rams with his blazing speed and skill to lead eighth-seeded Dartmouth to a resounding 4-0 boys soccer victory.
“He’s always been our energy,” Dartmouth head coach Josh Silva said. “Like I said, I’ve been around the game for a long time, probably the most dynamic kid I’ve ever coached and he’s definitely one of the best players in this state.”
Dartmouth (10-5-2), which advanced to face No. 9 Hingham, jumped all over Marshfield (7-7-4) by scoring two goals within the first 11 minutes of the contest.
A long service in off a free kick by Carter Brennan set up the first goal for the Indians. The Rams couldn’t successfully clear the ball out of the box and it went to Logan Stott, who got his shot through a crowd and into the back of net.
Raposa then started terrorizing Marshfield’s defense with his elite quickness. After Rams goalie Ian Sarabia, who was sensational with eight saves and stopped two penalty kicks, denied Raposa on a breakaway, Raposa got the ball back moments later and buried a low, hard shot for his 19th goal of the season and a 2-0 lead.
“We came out fired (up), executed, played with intensity and put some goals in the back of the net,” Raposa said.
The Indians continued to feed off of Raposa and the senior captain showcased his playmaking on Dartmouth’s next two goals.
They were almost identical plays as Raposa got behind the Marshfield defense on a breakaway in the 25th minute before stepping on the breaks and dishing a pass off to Lucas Macedo. Macedo then unleashed a perfectly-placed blast into the upper left corner for a 3-0 advantage.
Raposa smartly went to the same move again midway through the second half with Marshfield defenders converging on him. But this time, Raposa found a wide open Stott after stopping on a dime for Stott’s second tally.
“I do feel like Landon’s not the only dynamic player on the field,” Silva said. “We do a good job of making teams feel uncomfortable and getting them off-balanced.”
