Boys soccer: Depleted Boston English squad is shutout

It's tough winning games in a building year. It's even tougher when key players are missing.

Such was the dilemma facing the English High School boys soccer team in its matchup against undefeated East Boston High Tuesday afternoon. The Blue & Blue Bulldogs arrived missing six players and departed with a 7-0 defeat to the Jets.

English head coach Martin Gutiérrez has placed a strong emphasis on academics while building the soccer program. Unfortunately, that sometimes causes adverse effects.

"So the bad thing about having guys with high [grade point averages] is that they're involved with a lot of Outward Bound, SAT classes, stuff like that," said Gutiérrez. "Today was one of those days. Four of our guys had to attend the after-school program Summer Search. And then we had two guys today who were sick."

English High played defensive soccer during the first half having a lone attacker and placing Herman Wolde Ghiorgis in the backfield. The strategy limited a potent offense averaging 3.8 goals per game to two first-half goals.

"We strategized specifically to defend today," said Gutiérrez. "We went heavy on defense and weak upfront. It worked to our advantage in the beginning."

But the Bulldogs' energy began to wane in the second half, and with only one substitution available, had limited options. The Jets capitalized scoring five goals.

"The second half, we just got tired," said Gutiérrez. "East Boston took advantage of that. They spread the field. They moved the ball upfront. They made our guys chase unnecessarily. They definitely outsmarted us in that sense."

The Bulldogs began the game in familiar fashion.

An English foul minutes into the game awarded the Jets a free kick on the top-right of the goalie box. Kelvin Martinez's kick curved into the upper-right corner of the net providing the Jets the early 1-0 lead.

East Boston continued to dominate on the offensive end and added another tally at the 21-minute mark when Elmer Ventura scored on a pass from Martinez. 

English escaped the half without any further damage partly because of the defensive strategy, but also because of several key saves by Bulldog goalie Anthony Cruz, including an impressive stop on a Martinez laser shot to the top left of goal.

"He's also sick today with a cold," Gutiérrez said about Cruz. "He sucked it up. He's a great player."               

Cruz said that although there are parts of his game that need improvement, he has high expectations of his goalie.  

"There are still some things we need to work on," said Gutiérrez, "such as when to come out and what angles to cover, but as a first time player, I'm very pleased with his progress. Next year, he is going to be an elite player in the city."

The Bulldogs were unable to muster any offense with the majority of players positioning themselves in the backfield and the Jets maintaining a solid grip on possession. This was illustrated by the fact that English had one shot on goal in the first half.

The English defensive strategy appeared to be working in the second half until the nine minute mark.

Martinez, on the left side of the field, perfectly crossed the ball in front of the net for Oscar Espinosa who headed the ball in unchallenged. The Jets went on to score four additional goals in the following 16 minutes.

English is now 1-7 after earning its first victory over Charlestown High, 3-2, last week in a back-and-forth affair. Gutiérrez said that while it is nice having their first win of the season, they will need to bounce back from Wednesday's loss by working on defensive tactics and becoming quicker passing on the offensive front.

"Keep your head up. Keep your head up. We're still building," Gutiérrez told his players after the game.

English moves on to play Latin Academy next Monday.