SPORTS

Bolts roll past Titans, into playoffs

Posted 11/3/21

By ALEX SPONSELLER The Cranston East boys soccer team cruised past visiting Toll Gate 7-1 in its regular season finale last week at the stadium. Leading scorer Carlos Andrade stayed hot by netting a pair of goals while Fabian Alzate, Nadeem Chaudhry,

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SPORTS

Bolts roll past Titans, into playoffs

SEASON FINALE: Cranston East’s Josue Molina works his way past a Toll Gate defender during the team’s season finale last week at Cranston Stadium. The Thunderbolts took home a big 7-1 victory and faced rival Cranston West in the first round of the playoffs on Tuesday evening. The results were not available at press time.

PLAYOFF BOUND: Christian Mestre works his way up the field against Toll Gate.

Posted Wednesday, November 3, 2021 6:35 am

By ALEX SPONSELLER The Cranston East boys soccer team cruised past visiting Toll Gate 7-1 in its regular season finale last week at the stadium.

Leading scorer Carlos Andrade stayed hot by netting a pair of goals while Fabian Alzate, Nadeem Chaudhry, Curtis Horace, Josue Molina and Ansony Chavarria also added scores. Keeper David White finished with six stops in net for the Bolts.

East finishes the regular season with an 8-6-3 overall record and took on rival Cranston West in the opening round of the playoffs on Tuesday. The results were not available at press time.

After getting off to a 5-0 start this fall, injuries became a factor for the Bolts who stumbled much of the second half of the schedule.

“It was good because we were able to build a little confidence before heading into our next game against Cranston West. I’ve never had so many injuries in all of my years coaching. We were limping in the final three weeks of the season, it really took a toll on us and caused some adversity. That’s why I am really proud that these kids were able to get into the playoffs. A lot of teams wouldn’t have had that fortitude, but our team did,” said East coach Richard Grenier.

Andrade has been one of the state’s top forces on the offensive side of the ball this year and finished the regular season with a whopping 18 goals.

“Carlos has carried the offense all year long. People smartened up and started to double, triple team him. He’s had a phenomenal year and he’s had a lot of pressure on him. I think he’s one of the best players in Division II offensively because he never forced anything. Also, guys like Christian Mestre and Josue Molina, those kids stepped up and are the three reasons we made the playoffs,” said Grenier.

Grenier expected a close matchup against the Falcons, who they tied earlier in the fall.

“(West coach) Ethan (Lincoln) has done a great job building from the back and the kids have done a great job adjusting. It’s going to come down to who gets a break and who capitalizes on the opportunity. It could go any way,” said Grenier.