MVRHS boys soccer tames Lions in season opener

Girls lose at home on late goal.

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The MVRHS boys soccer team started of the new season on the right foot with a convincing 5-1 win over the St. John Paul II Lions in the Cape and Islands League opener Wednesday afternoon at Sandwich Water District Field.

Luigi Da Silva and Matheus Brito put the Vineyarders up 2-0 in the first half, but the Lions drew one back before halftime. Emmanuel Da Silva broke the match open with two goals in the second half, and Eli Saunier chipped in another goal to cap off the win.

Freshman Lucas Reis was another standout for the Vineyarders, who play Cape Tech in the home opener at 4:15 pm on Tuesday in Oak Bluffs.

The Vineyard girls, meanwhile, lost a close one to St. John Paul II in their home debut at Dan McCarthy Field. Alex Palmer finished off a fine Madi Wojciechowski pass in the Vineyard box to score the game-winning goal with five minutes remaining in a 2-1 Lions win.

Madia Bellebuono put the Vineyarders up 1-0, 13 minutes into the first half, but Wojciechowski equalized 30 seconds later, and the Lions carried the play the rest of the way.

The Vineyarders got off to a bright start, but their legs grew weary in the second half. “It all comes down to fitness,” Vineyard Coach Rocco Bellebuono said. “I think if they were game-fit, it would have been a different game today. We’re going to get fit playing the games, and we’ve got to make adjustments as we go.

“We had a couple of real positives, some good attacking play. When we got tired, it’s hard. It’s hard to hold on to the ball, hard to make a good pass and hang on to possession when your body is not doing what you want it to do. We’ll see … Friday [at Sturgis Charter School West] will be another game, another opportunity. We’ll have a recovery session tomorrow, get healed up and ready to go for Friday.”