LEOMINSTER — After a dominant performance in Saturday’s state championship match, the Terriers have proven themselves once again as the top dogs of Division II.
No. 11 West Springfield boys soccer clinched its fifth consecutive shutout and defeated No. 4 Duxbury, 3-0, in the MIAA Division II state final at Doyle Field.
West Springfield (13-2-8) captured the fifth state title in program history, and the Terriers’ first since 2021.
“My brother, (Lukas), was part of the 2021 one and he always had that one-up on me,“ Jason Piacentini said after the match. “Now we’re even, so it’s great, it feels amazing.”
Piacentini put the Terriers on the board in the 15th minute off a long throw-in from Caleb Eickelberg on the left side. The Terriers’ Super 7 selection timed his run perfectly, leaping to meet the ball and flicking it towards goal.
The Dragons did not take the opening goal quietly and put the Terriers under pressure soon after the restart. West Springfield fended off wave after wave as Duxbury fought desperately for an equalizer, probing West Side’s defense with dangerous passes over the top.
The Terriers did well to keep the Dragons at bay, but their slim advantage left them with no room for error heading into the second half.
“We knew that (Duxbury was) very direct,” West Springfield boys soccer coach Nick Gumlaw said. “So we knew that we had to definitely lockdown our box, but we could hit them on the counter attack. This field is very narrow, so you have to be deadly on your set pieces.”
The Terriers came out of the break aggressively seeking a second goal and the wait did not last long.
On a long free kick in the 47th minute from just inside the midfield line, Izmir Isik delivered a tantalizing cross into the box that snuck past everyone and found Piacentini on the back post for the simple tap in.
The Dragons did not let up after the second goal and continued to press the issue, but the Terriers’ backline refused to break.
West Springfield goalkeeper Chris Zarelli made save after save inside the box and commanded his area well, communicating throughout the night with his defenders to stick to the game plan.
“Make sure their crosses from their wingers don’t get through, just talking who’s picking up whose man,” Zarelli said. “… there’s a lot of talking, trying to let each other know where the ball is, where the player is.”
The Terriers secured their advantage in the 60th minute when Isik sent Sebastian DiCarlo through on goal down the left wing. DiCarlo knocked the ball past the keeper rushing out and scored the open net goal.
The Terriers were careful down the stretch, seeing out the final twenty minutes to earn the victory.
The Terriers’ rock-solid defense earned its 13th shutout of the season in the victory, with zero goals allowed in the state tournament.
“We were great, defensively sound all year. We stayed very composed in that backline, we tried not to panic, (because) panicking is one of the worst things you can do in (defense),” senior captain Michael Zarelli said. “You watch film, you watch the guys we need to and it just feels great to have zero goals let up throughout that whole tournament.”
Isik was a key figure in the Terriers’ victory, with two assists and numerous tackles cutting out the oppositions’ advances.
“We watched everything about (Duxbury), we analyzed them, we saw how they pressed, how they played direct,” Isik said. “We had to play defensive (to start) the game, play direct too, cross the ball and defend as a team.”
The Terriers graduate a large group of seniors this spring, with 14 players leaving the team. Many of them, including Isik, were on the Terriers’ 2022 team that followed in the footsteps of the state championship-winning side of 2021.
Finishing with a 5-11-2 record, the Terriers missed the state tournament altogether, a season’s worth of disappointing memories that these seniors can finally put to rest.
“We didn’t have a good team, we didn’t have a good chemistry,” Isik said. “But year-by-year, step-by-step, we built up that chemistry and achieved our goals.”
The Terriers will look towards their juniors to lead the team next season, with James DiCiocco, Eickelburg and Teddy Piacentini set to return among others.
“We knew that if we wanted to something, this is going to be the year,” Eickelburg said. “There’s a good class coming up, but we wanted to finish it this year, didn’t want to wait any longer and that’s what we did.
“A ton of offseason work, we do great offseason trainings with all our offseason coaches. Just working together, staying as close as a team and having good leadership.”
Duxbury finishes its season with an 18-4-1 record, reaching its first state final since 1999 and 11th overall in program history.
“We had a great season, very successful. Won the leage, made it to the finals, which is obviously a very difficult thing to do,” Duxbury boys soccer coach Brian Johnson said. “We played some really good teams and we were up to it almost every game.
“We have some good young players… our girls program that lost in the finals last year and were able to come back and win this year. (Our girls) learned from their mistakes, it’s something we’ve tried to do all season long. (Remember) this feeling, so we come back and not feel it again next year.”
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
