Rockland boys soccer back in the postseason - Boston Herald

As last year concluded, Rockland was in a position it was seldom accustomed to.

For the first time in six seasons, Rockland’s campaign didn’t extend into the state tournament. The Bulldogs fell well short of the playoffs, posting a 3-14-1 mark that left a painfully sour taste in their mouths. But it also fueled them, too.

Anything short of a postseason appearance wouldn’t be tolerated this year, and Rockland’s desire to improve helped engineer a drastic turnaround, in which the Bulldogs won 10 out of their first 12 games to punch its ticket back to the tournament.

“To not be in the tournament was really disappointing,” said Rockland coach Dan Kimball. “It was surprising. It was something that we knew was unacceptable and we were ready to go as soon as that season ended last year.”

Last year’s tumultuous season didn’t drive Rockland apart, instead it banded the Bulldogs together and by working collectively, they have registered the results they craved.

“The communication and giving up personal goals and working for the team,” said senior captain Vitor Santos, a native of Brazil, on the biggest difference from last season. “Why we didn’t succeed last year was because everyone wanted to do good for themselves and not the team. It’s team first now.”

The approach made a significant impact, especially on the offense, where the Bulldogs have scored five or more goals in nine games and have outscored the opposition, 60-15, including Friday’s loss to Norwell.

The goal-scoring wealth is spread out and led by Santos and Renan Santos up top. Outside midfielders Gavin Norton and Carter Burke are added offensive threats, while Yggor Batista and Andrew Norton solidify play through the middle of the formation.

“We’re playing balls to feet this year as opposed to playing kick and run,” Kimball said. “We’re playing the game the right way.”

Rockland’s vast improvement allowed it to compete with the elites of the South Shore League. For the first time since joining the SSL, the Bulldogs grabbed a point against Cohasset with a scoreless draw.

Earlier this month, a 1-0 win over Carver secured Rockland’s coveted postseason berth and faded the memory of last season’s shortcoming.

“It just shows how hard these guys are working and how determined they are to make up for last year and really get us back on track,” Kimball said.

Defensive art

Bedford has mastered the art of recording a shutout. The Buccaneers ironclad defense has posted 10 clean sheets in 13 games and allowed a measly four goals.

“The kids themselves are committed to that end and we have a pretty good culture around defending that goes back to prior seasons,” said Bedford coach Dave Boschetto, with his team boasting an 11-1-1 mark. “This year we’ve taken that to a new level.”

Boschetto showed his club game film of his 2012 squad that yielded six goals and the veteran coach believes these Buccaneers are on par with that team, if not better.

Chris Venuti anchors the stout unit with his tremendous play in net while Alex Oleksinski is a formidable center back after playing as a forward the previous three seasons. Holding midfielder Matias Ou is another key component to the defense’s success.

Bedford’s near flawless defense has been critical with the Buccaneers winning five contests by a 1-0 margin, including a thrilling victory over Lincoln-Sudbury, in which Nolan Hafer scored in the final minute to avenge Bedford’s only regular-season loss from a year ago.

“Shutting out opponents requires a lot of focus,” Boschetto said. “We do a lot of scouting. We do a lot of walking through what the other team tries to do and our guys have really bought into that.”

Bragging rights

Saturday’s inaugural Patriot League versus Bay State Conference Challenge provided a late-season test for several of the top girls soccer teams in the state.

The event featured six games pitting the leagues against each other, and also raised money for the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer organization, which funds breast cancer research and provides patient services.

“Not only is it awesome competition against two of the stronger leagues in Eastern Mass., now there’s more of a bigger purpose behind it,” said Plymouth North coach Eric Foley, who orchestrated the challenge as his team faced Framingham.

The other matchups included Hingham-Brookline, Marshfield-Natick, Duxbury-Needham, Silver Lake-Newton North and Whitman-Hanson versus Weymouth.