Super-Sub Pair, Wonder Goal Propel Seacoast United Phantoms
The Phantoms continue their four-game winning streak thanks to second half substitutes Marco dos Santos and Sam White.
It took super-subs Marco dos Santos and Sam White to link up seven minutes after coming on to break down Black Rock FC’s disciplined defense and help the Seacoast United Phantoms win 2-0.
Seacoast United entered the away fixture without their midfield duo of Taig Healy and Jack Burgess. Right winger Marco dos Santos also started on the bench.
Throughout the first half, Seacoast pushed for an opening goal but kept finding the hands of Black Rock goalkeeper Christian Herluf Braae-Andersen.
“I thought we created our own problems,” said Seacoast United Phantoms head coach Alex Ryan. “I know the heat was a factor, but the first minutes were just frustrating.”
Braae-Andersen recorded five saves in the first half, but the clearest chance saw Seacoast winger Terry Makedika smash a header into the crossbar in the 31st minute.
With a need to win the game in the second half, Phantom’s head coach Alex Ryan switched to a 4-4-2 with Ibrahim Conde and Chris Album as the striker pair. He also brought on Shun Kushima for Zemedkun Rodriguez, who had missed a few chances in the first half.
“I wanted to isolate their center-backs man-to-man and drop back our press,” Ryan said about his shift from the 4-3-3 to the 4-4-2. “We had created most of our chances from our high press in the first half, but it just wasn’t working.”
Kushima dropped deep to help Charles Strine create from the midfield. As Black Rock pressured higher up the field, Kushima found Makedika, who settled the ball and laid it off for Album. The striker’s shot ended up going over the goal.
In the 58th minute, former Boston College teammates dos Santos and White entered the pitch for Alfred Baafi and Album.
“The positive is that we have a lot of depth,” Ryan said. “When I look ahead to the big games next week, I’m happy that I’ve got good depth in this team and even from players who haven’t played yet.”
Just seven minutes later, dos Santos settled a pass from a free-kick taken by Strine. The Boston College winger took on two defenders and twisted through them before cutting the ball back into the box. White ran onto the end of the pass and tucked the ball into the back of the goal to break the deadlock.
Having conceded, Black Rock tried to hold onto the ball but met Seacoast’s press.
Following Braae-Andersen’s eighth save off a Conde shot inside the box, the goalkeeper chucked the ball towards the center of the pitch. Kushima took the ball down and seeing Braae-Andersen out of his goal, Kushina hammered the ball from 35 yards out into the back of the goal.
“It was a fantastic strike,” Ryan said about Kushina’s goal. “When you look at both of our goals today they’re probably much lower in terms of what the modern game will call xG, but we showed that we can create a variety of chances and score some great goals. It really was a fantastic strike from Kushina.”
With a 2-0 victory, Seacoast United Phantoms remain undefeated with a perfect record. This Friday they face off against the Western Mass Pioneers in a match-up of the teams at the top of the table.
“This is why we coach and why we play,” said Ryan. “We’re in a great league and we want to play the big teams in big games.”
Black Rock FC will play against Boston Bolts on Saturday in Newton at 7:30 p.m.