By Ryan Lanigan || HockomockSports.com Editor
MILFORD, Mass. — Four weeks ago, King Philip scored twice in the final 12 minutes to stun Milford and grab a 3-2 win.
It might not have been as dramatic on Thursday night, but the Scarlet Hawks flipped the script on the Warriors.
This time it was Milford who rallied from a one-goal deficit in the second half, scoring twice inside the final 25 minutes to gain the lead while senior goalie Iuri Dias made a game-saving stop with just over five minutes to go to secure a 3-2 win.
“I think the boys are really ecstatic to get that loss back,” said Milford head coach Antonio Pinto. The Hawks’ three losses this year are to St. John’s Prep (#1 in Division 1), Oliver Ames (#1 in Division 2) and KP — the Hawks had a second half red card in the first meeting and finished with 10 men. “I think they wanted to see how this game played out if we kept 11 men. I don’t think there was a clear cut better team today, it was a good match.”
Milford struck just 29 seconds into the game when junior Mayck Moreira smashed in a header off a cross from sophomore Marcos Da Silva while King Philip leveled the match just before halftime as good pressure from senior Ryan Love forced a loose ball that junior Greyson Perachi jumped onto and fired a left-footed shot from the corner of the area that found the back of the net.
That set the stage for an exciting second half filled with chances from both sides, key stops from both Dias and his counterpart Brent Schneider, and near misses — right down to the final seconds.
Just 10 minutes into the second half, Schneider made an excellent diving stop right at the post, just getting down to push a shot from Milford junior Bryan Ribeiro wide. Three minutes later, the Warriors had their first lead. Perachi jumped on a loose ball in the attacking third, danced his way into a bit of space and fired a low shot from about 25 yards out. The shot was stopped but spilled and the only player to follow the shot was KP senior Nick Longobardi and he had an easy finish to give KP a 2-1 lead.
“That was a good match,” said King Philip head coach Mike O’Neill. “We have great respect for Coach Pinto and his team. They are technical and athletic — they will be a tough out in the tournament.”
The advantage lasted less than five minutes though. Marcos Da Silva gained possession in the midfield and slowed the play. Given some time and space, he rifled a switch over the top of the defense to the right side where senior Danny Da Silva ran onto it, took a touch at goal into the area and blasted a finish past the keeper to make it 2-2.
“The kids are resilient really, they don’t really get affected,” Pinto said. “I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing, because it feels like we’re crawling back into the game a lot, but they just they stay composed. They get a little emotional sometimes, and we’re trying to control that.”
KP’s defense did well as Milford pushed for the go-ahead goal. Ben Cochran tracked back well to deny a potential breakaway bid, and on the ensuing corner, Jakoby Penabad came up with a key stop to prevent a clean shot from inside the area. Schneider did his part too, denying Marcos Da Silva’s one-timer with a stop in the top corner at the near post, and then again with a leaping one-handed stop on a great half volley bid from Cael Martins — from about 30 yards out — minutes later.
But Milford’s pressure paid off as the Hawks seized the lead on a corner kick. Marcos Da Silva’s service was met by junior center back Gui Quaresma, and his towering header at the far post bounced back through the six-yard box and into the side netting to put Milford ahead 3-2.
It was a hat trick of assists for Marcos Da Silva — on his birthday.
“The last time we talked, the tie against Franklin, that was a game I was telling Marcos I wanted him taking the ball more, driving with the ball more because he’s fast, he’s athletic, and he’s tough to defend one-on-one. I don’t think there’s many defenders that contain him.”
The drama was far from over as King Philip came inches from tying the game three times in the final 10 minutes. Senior Marco Amorim dropped a perfect cross that Perachi got on the end of with a header but Dias timed his leap perfectly, getting just enough of his hand to it as it hit the top of the crossbar and went over the box.
“He’s such a competitor, and he takes it all to heart,” Pinto said of Dias. “You could tell after the goals he gave up that he wanted a chance to make up for it, and he really did. That was a phenomenal save and that saved the game for us.”
A minute later, junior Max Van Hoesen unleashed a shot from 35 yards out that sizzled just over the crossbar. And then in the final seconds, an errant punt fell to Amorim and he unleashed a shot from 40 yards out with the net open, but it bounced just wide before the final whistle.
Milford boys soccer (8-3-6) closes out the regular season on Tuesday with a trip to Canton for a 7:00 start. King Philip (8-4-5) returns home to host Stoughton at 6:00 the same day.
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