Raiders Bulletin Board

11/18/2012D3 boys soccer: Sutton 2, Watertown 1

WORCESTER, Mass. -- The brothers Rothermich, Justin and Kevin, each scored a goal on Saturday afternoon to lead Sutton to a 2-1 state title victory over Watertown, Sutton’s second consecutive Division 3 state championship.

Watertown junior James Garbier scored the first goal of the game with a header about halfway through the first half, following a scrum around the net.

The Sammies didn’t wait long for their rebuttal, as senior Justin Rothermich scored on Watertown less than ninety seconds after Garbier’s goal.

“They scored early on, but it was early in the game, we knew we would have the skill to come back, Rothermich said, “we just kept our heads up. That’s the biggest thing, you can’t let yourself mentally drop after one goal.”

Sutton exuded a certain type of confidence all day, even when Watertown was on the attack. This is a concept that head coach Michael Elster says his team really impressed him with over the course of the state tournament.

“When we won districts they were really happy, but I didn’t see them cheering on the bus or anything,” Elster said following his team’s victory. "It was like ‘we’ve got more to do,’ it was this quiet confidence of we know we can get there and do it, and they did. It was nerve wracking, but they did a great job.”

The Sammies were on the attack much of the second half, but were especially on the attack in the final twenty minutes, going up 2-1 with about fifteen minutes to go on a goal by Justin’s younger brother, Kevin Rothermich.

Taking a defender one-on-one to the left side, Justin flew up the sideline, beating his defender and getting a good look at the goal from the left side of the box. After the shot tipped off of Watertown goalkeeper Greg Koutroukas, Kevin recovered the ricocheted ball in front of the net, and kicked in what would eventually be the game winning goal.

“There’s no feeling like it, to play with your brother, and then [for us] to get those two goals in a huge game like that. We can really find each other out there on the field and we played really well,” the older Rothermich said.

Elster said this wasn’t the first time the brothers have led the Sammies this year.

“They’ve had a couple combinations this year, in some important games, and you really can’t do it in any bigger scene," Elster said. "This was nice for them and I’m sure their family is going to be really happy for them.”

Each team will graduate eight seniors in the spring, but both can be expected to right in the thick of things in the Division 3 tournament again next year, as both teams will return several starters on offense.

"[Watertown] is a very good team, they made us work for it there’s no question about it,” Elster said, “I’m proud of these guys; they played a hell of a game.”

11/18/2012Raiders Fall to Sutton in the Boys' Soccer Final

Watertown's magical run through the MIAA Div. 3 boys soccer tournament came up just short as the Raiders could not hold on to an early 1-0 lead and fell to Sutton in the state final, Saturday at Foley Stadium in Worcester.

Despite the loss, Watetown coach Frank Cacia said the team accomplished more than any previous Raiders squad.

"Give (Sutton) a lot of credit. They’ve been here before," Cacia said. "We scored the first goal, we didn’t lay down. I’m proud of the boys. It was an incredible run. I’m sure if I told them at the beginning of the year we would get to the state final they would tell me I was crazy."

Before this year, the farthest the Raiders had advanced was the state semifinal.

The Raiders (15-3-6) took a 1-0 lead when junior James Garbier headed in a corner kick 17 minutes into the first half.

The lead was short lived, however. The Sammies (20-1-1) responded two minutes later with a goal of their own. Cacia said Sutton took advantage of a defensive lapse by the Raiders.

Justin Rothermich beat the defenders and Watertown goalie Greg Kotroukas to a ball, went around the goalie - who had come out of the box to play the ball - and easily put the ball into the net.

In the second half, the Raiders came out hot, but could not convert the pressure into a goal.

"The first 10 minutes of the second half we took it to them, we just couldn’t create enough chances," Cacia said. "It’s not about ball possession. You have to gain real estate and finish out opportunities when you have a team on the ropes, like that."

Sutton's go ahead goal came off a good opportunity by the Raiders. Watertown had a corner kick, but the Sammies cleared it out and Rothermich took it all the way down the field, and Koutroukas made the first save, but Kevin Rothermich booted the rebound into the Watertown goal with 15 minutes left in the game.

"They are a classic counter attack team," Cacia said. "They are not going to provide constant pressure on a team, but when they do it’s dangerous."

Cacia said he has hopes for his young team, which only played three seniors. He hopes Saturday's loss will motivate his team next year.

"You just have to take away the experience of being here," Cacia said. "The dedication and hard work it took through out the year to get here. The result (in the final) is motivation is to get one more step further next year."

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It was the Raiders, however, that came out after intermission dominating the first 15 minutes of that second half but unfortunately had nothing to show for it.

"We did a great job controlling possession but we didn't create many chances," Cacia said. "We really needed to capitalize there."

After the Sammies (20-1-1) took their first lead of the game they did everything in their power to go up a pair but Koutroukas made some amazing saves to keep it a one goal game and keep his team's dream alive. The Raiders, though, never got the equalizer thus finishing the season as Division Three North and Eastern Mass champions with the grand prize just eluding them.

"It takes a lot of dedication and hard work to get where we got," Cacia said. "No one expected us to get this far and next year we hope to take it one step further. I remember talking to a friend of mine a few years back when I took this job. He asked me why I would take a job coaching high school when I could of easily be coaching in the college ranks. He reminded me that in college you can go out and pick your own players but in high school you have to play the hand your dealt. With this team, though, I can tell him I was dealt a royal straight flush. This team changed the culture of Watertown boys soccer and it is going to be because of them that we are going to continue to have a successful program for many years to come."

Watertown finished their magical season with an overall record of 15-3-6.

Read more: Boys Soccer: Watertown falls to Sutton in state championship - Watertown, MA - Watertown TAB http://www.wickedlocal.com/watertown/news/x1107412383/Boys-Soccer-Watertown-falls-to-Sutton-in-state-championship#ixzz2Cac4gYMH

11/18/2012Sammies smash Raiders’ title dreams

WORCESTER — Although it trailed early in the game, Sutton battled back behind the Rothermich brothers to defeat Watertown, 2-1, yesterday to win its second consecutive boys soccer Division 3 state championship at Foley Stadium.

Despite winning the title last season, this year’s victory meant a lot more to the Sammies (20-1-1) because of the road taken to get there.

“These guys had the confidence to do this because we have been here before, but you could tell after (winning previous games in the tournament) that they understood we had more to do,” Sutton coach Michael Elster said. “I am more excited about this one than the last one because it was a little harder to win, especially since we lost two of our starters at the beginning of the season.”

In the 22nd minute, Watertown’s James Garbier knocked home a header to give the Raiders an early 1-0 lead.

The Raiders’ lead lasted 90 seconds, as Justin Rothermich broke free on a break and slid a shot past diving Raiders goalie Greg Koutroukas to tie up the match.

“Ryan Elster found me through the hole in the middle of the field, and I just got to the ball before the goalie did,” Justin Rothermich said.

The game went into halftime tied, thanks to a flurry of saves from Koutroukas 12 minutes before the break. The deadlock wasn’t broken until Justin’s brother Kevin scored the game-winner with 15 minutes left in the game. Justin picked up the assist on the play, as Kevin worked through a scrum of players out front to deliver shot past Koutroukas.

“I saw that my brother was taking the ball down the line, so I made my run for the middle of the field,” Kevin Rothermich said. “The ball popped out, and it was a wide-open net.

“We seem to know each other on the field, and he seems to know where I am going to be.”

The Sammies controlled the ball for most of the game, which gave the team confidence that they would pull out a win.

“I thought we were controlling the ball very well, so I knew something was going to happen eventually,” Elster said.

Koutroukos (seven saves) made a big diving stop to give Watertown (15-3-6) in it, as the Raiders pushed forward for an equalizer. But the Raiders could not beat Sutton goalie Gordon Smythe (five saves) to force overtime.

11/18/2012Watertown falls to Sutton in state championship

Watertown High School will have to settle for one state championship this fall after the Raider boys soccer team ended their historic season as Division Three runner-ups following a 2-1 loss to Sutton Saturday afternoon in the MIAA D-3 title game held at Worcester State's Foley Stadium.

"It's tough for all of us right now," Watertown head coach Frank Cacia said after the game. "But this was an incredible run. There's approximately 160 teams in Division Three so I will take ending up as one of the final two. I am very proud of these boys. They made history. They were the first Watertown boys soccer team to make it this far and that is something they can always carry with them."

Although the Sammies, now a two-time defending state champion, had the better of the early play, it was Watertown that opened the scoring. A brilliant header from junior James Garbier on a very nice corner kick from senior midfielder Raffi Chilingaryan found the back of the net with 22:32 left in the first half sending the Watertown sideline and their fans into a frenzy.

"That was an incredible play," Cacia said of Garbier's efforts on the goal. "I don't know how he got himself so high up in the air to head that ball in."

Sutton, though, didn't have to face a deficit for long. Just 1:34 later, the game was tied when senior forward Justin Rothermich (1 goal, 1 assist) broke free with the ball wide open down the middle of the field and did not miss that golden opportunity as he bounced one by Raider junior keeper Greg Koutroukas.

"That was a tough one to give up," Cacia said. "We had just grabbed the momentum and they immediately took it back from us. One of our sweepers just over-committed on that play and it gave them an easy scoring chance. It was a bad time to give up a counter attack like that but at the same time you got to give Sutton a lot of credit. They didn't back down one bit when we took the lead and they capitalized on their opportunities. I thought they benefitted a great deal from their past tournament experience."

The score remained the same until Rothermich's younger brother, sophomore Kevin Rothermich, took a feed from his older brother Justin from in close and beat Koutroukas with exactly 15 minutes left to go in the second half to break the tie and along with it, Watertown's hearts.

11/16/2012Boys Soccer: Watertown advance to state finals

The Watertown High boys soccer team advanced to the Division Three state finals with another thrilling 2-1-penalty kick win over Dover-Sherborn Wednesday night in Quincy.

Throughout this magical tournament ride, the Watertown High boys soccer team has not made it look easy.

However, each and every time they have dug down deep during crunch time and such was the case again on Wednesday night November 14 when the Raiders advanced to the Division 3 final with a thrilling 2-1 penalty kick victory over Dover Sherborn at Quincy's Veterans Stadium.

In what looked like a repeat of the D-3 North final played just two days earlier, nothing was settled after two halves and two overtimes forcing the penalty kick situation. Once again, though, all five Watertown shooters found the net while goalie Greg Koutroukos was able to make yet another game saving stop. As he did against Weston in the North Final, the junior made another sparkling save; this time in round one of the shootout which held up and allowed Watertown an opportunity to win its first ever state title.

"He's got ice in his veins," Watertown head coach Frank Cacia said of his keeper. "He steps up in key situations. He is a superstar for crying out loud. I saw his picture on ESPN.Com (Boston)."

Watertown scored the lone first half goal when junior Vardan Yeghiyan was credited with a goal after his shot was accidentally knocked in by Dover keeper Max Dunn 25 minutes into the game.

"As fortunate as we were on that goal, it was huge," Cacia said. "Dover-Sherborn had outscored opponents 19-0 in their tournament games so now they had to play from behind. Scoring that first goal certainly provided a spark for us."

Dover, though, responded well to the pressure and was able to tie the game when Peter Burton's shot was inadvertently knocked in off a Watertown sweeper 13 minutes into the second half.

The Raiders and their opponent both had chances later in the half and in the two overtimes but could not score thus setting up another dramatic penalty kick situation where once again the locals were able to prevail.

"This team just doesn't get rattled," Cacia said. "Having that type of character trait in the tournament is so beneficial."

With one obstacle to overcome to make history the Raiders have to knock off the defending D-3 state champion Sutton squad Saturday at 12:30 at Worcester's Foley Stadium.

"They only have one loss all season and they only lost one senior from last year's team," Cacia said of Sutton. "We know it's going to be a very tough challenge but also know we are capable of pulling it off. We are not going to do anything different."

So far that strategy has certainly proven to be a good one.

11/15/2012Boys Soccer: Watertown 1, D-S 0 (5-3 PK's)

QUINCY, Mass. -- As the round of penalty kicks began, Watertown goalkeeper Greg Koutroukas walked off to the corner of the turf at Veterans Memorial Field, crouched, bowed his head, closed his eyes and softly prayed.

"I was just trying to get myself confidence," he said. "We practice these every day at practice, I knew I was bound to get one one more time."

In his first attempt, he read the Dover-Sherborn player leaning to the right, and guessed it would be a waist-high shot to the far post on his left side. He guessed correctly, slapped the ball away, then roared, making a few strides towards his fan section wagging his index finger.

And then, the emotional junior held on. He couldn't stop the next three D-S shots he faced, but his teammates picked up the slack, converting all five of their penalties to win the Division 3 Eastern Mass. championship, 2-1 (5-3), and move on to Saturday's state finals at Worcester State University.

"I'm in tears right now -- tears of joy," Koutroukas said.

It's uncharted territory for Watertown, which last got to the Eastern Mass. final in 1980. For head coach Frank Cacia, it's the fulfillment of some lofty expectations the team brought upon itself back in August.

"We walked into the gymnasium last night...One of our goals is to go undefeated at home, and we accomplished that," he said. "[But] one of our other goals is to get a banner. We practiced last night in the gym, we looked up at the banner and it said '1980 North Champions'. We wanted to come out here and make history."

Koutroukas came up with five saves in the 100 minutes of regulation and overtime, just as he did in last weekend's North final. And just like he's done all year, tonight was done with proper timing, hand speed, and a dash of swagger.

"And he's cool," Cacia said. "He looks like he's amped up, but he's cool as they come."

Cool, even after a gaffe by one of his teammates that allowed D-S back in the game. A corner kick by Walker Littlehale came into the box and brushed off the shoulder of Watertown's sweeper, allowing Peter Burton to get the equalizer.

But make no mistake, D-S was an aggressor throughout. They controlled the opening minutes of the contest, having two attempts at the doorstep turned away, but also fell victim to an own goal in the 25th minute, credited to sophomore striker Rafael De Souza but set up by a Vardan Yeghiyan shot to the far post.

Burton had arguably the best chance of the night, late in the second overtime, on a play built up from the back line. Burton took a soft through pass long into the box, but Koutroukas came off his line and stuffed him. The rebound went high above the crossbar.

Tough time for your first: After not allowing a goal all postseason, D-S comes up on the losing end, having outscored the opposition 20-1 in five games.

"Communication in our back four has been great for us," D-S head coach Joe Gruseck said. "Once we were solidifed and got guys back healthy -- [Steve] Aston sweeping, Perry [Fitz] stopping, Jackson [Szuch] and then Murph [Clarke Murphy] on the outside -- from our targets all the way back, they play as one.

"It's just unfortunate that all the hard work they put in, how well they played together, that they weren't able to reap the benefits of all that."

Comfortably Numb: Koutroukas described tears of joy in talking about his emotions after the game. Cacia had some different adjectives altogether.

"I'm numb right now," he said. "I'm a Watertown graduate myself...1989, and we were not very good. We had four coaches in four years. We haven't been here before, but you couldn't tell.

"I think they came together in the offseason. While I'm vacationing in Italy and relaxing on the Mediterranean, they're training five days a week, two hours a day. They're out there every day. So, hard work pays off."

11/15/2012Watertown boys down Dover-Sherborn

Watertown connected on all five of its attempts in the shootout and goalkeeper Greg Koutroukas came up with a pivotal save to help Watertown seal a second straight win on penalty kicks, 2-1, against Dover-Sherborn in a Division 3 state semifinal last night at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Quincy. “I think it just shows that they’re calm, composed, “ said Watertown coach Frank Cacia. “We’re first timers to this, but we’re enjoying the journey, it’s amazing.” Watertown (15-2-6) jumped on the board in the 25th minute when Vardan Yeghiyan sent a crossing pass toward the net that was accidentally punched in by D-S keeper Max Dunn. Rafael DeSouza was credited with the goal.

D-S fired back in the 51st minute on a corner kick by Walker Littlehale that was headed in by Peter Burton. It was Littlehale’s fourth assist in two games. A DeSouza shot off the left post in the 69th minute was the best chance either team had in the second half or overtime. Dover-Sherborn’s run ended after a string of shutouts in the Div. 3 South tournament that included a win against No. 1 Nantucket. “Through thick and thin these guys became family,” said D-S coach Joe Gruseck. “They leaned on each other, played for each other and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

11/15/2012Watertown defeats DS to advance to State Final

QUINCY — Watertown may not have wanted it to be this close, but it knew exactly how to respond to the situation in Wednesday’s thrilling, 2-1 victory over Dover-Sherborn at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Watertown beat Weston in penalty kicks, 5-3, to win the North Sectional on Monday. And once again, Watertown found itself in another penalty shootout, this time against Dover-Sherborn, with the winner advancing to the Division 3 state final.

Watertown scored on its first penalty kick, then netminder Greg Koutroukas blocked Dover-Sherborn’s attempt. Dover-Sherborn made all its ensuing penalty kicks, but Vardan Yeghiyan had a chance to win it for Watertown. And just like against Weston, Yeghiyan went to the left, what he calls his “lucky side,” delivering the winning strike in the 5-3 triumph.

“We had confidence,” said an emotional Koutroukas. “This is the third time we went to penalty kicks, I knew we were going to bounce back. It’s just a matter of time. We just got one more championship game, we’re going to bring this town some happiness.”

Dover-Sherborn dictated the pace early, but Watertown gained some momentum in the first half and put a lot of pressure on Dover-Sherborn’s defense, which hadn’t given up a goal in the postseason. That changed 25 minutes into the half when Rafael DeSouza was credited with the first goal of the game.

Trailing, 1-0, at halftime, Dover-Sherborn coach Joe Gruseck told his team to be more physical on the attack and it did just that.

The equalizer came in the second half off a corner kick by Walker Littlehale. The ball hit a few bodies before eventually reaching the back of the net.

“It’s good to get this experience,” said Watertown coach Frank Cacia. “We were up in the game, then they tied the game. A lot of teams fold in that situation — momentum swings in the other team’s favor but you find a way to battle and stay in it.”

Both teams continued to chip away but were unable to capitalize on any of their opportunities. That continued into the two overtime periods, where there were some good scoring chances that never came to fruition.

Heading into the shootout, Watertown had the confidence that its postseason journey would not end in Quincy.

“It helps to have done it before,” said Cacia about the penalty kicks. “It’s not good on the heart for us but we’ll take it. We’re going to the state championship, it’s amazing.”

Watertown will play Sutton for the Division 3 state title Saturday at Foley Stadium in Worcester.

11/12/2012Raiders win with penalty kicks over Weston

The Watertown High boys soccer team was pushed to the limit but at the end of the day they were posing for pictures with the Division Three North championship trophy following a thrilling 2-1 penalty kick win over Weston Monday night at the Manning Bowl in Lynn.

After both teams battled to a 1-1 tie through two halves and then two overtimes the D-3 North championship would have to come down to penalty kicks to see who would claim the title and who would go on the state semi-finals.

Watertown buried all five of their shots with Raffi Chilingaryan, Juan Nieto-Lopez, James Kapotsis, Rafael DeSouza all finding the net before junior Vardan Yehiyan got the clincher and laid down on the ground for several moments very emotional about what just occurred.

"It's not about me," Yeghiyan said moments after officially putting his team in the state semi-finals. "It's about all my teammates and the great fans that support us. But it's especially about the coach (Watertown head coach Frank Cacia). He's the one that put all the work into this. He's the one that got us here."

The eighth seeded Wildcats (12-5-3) controlled the early moments of the game creating four corner plays in the first five minutes alone. As the half progressed, however, Watertown appeared to find their game but still needed a great defensive play from Cody Hecht to allow his team to enter halftime scoreless. With Weston streaking downfield on a three-on-two break Hecht anticipated the pass and broke the play up.

In the second half the Raider offense created some chances early but couldn't convert until Kapotsis, while streaking down the right side, buried a shot under the cross bar past Wildcat senior keeper Mark Fishman to give Watertown a 1-0 lead with 22:26 left in regulation. The play was set up by Nieto-Lopez who made a brilliant pass across the field to spot his teammate.

It didn't take long, however, for Weston to get even. A few minutes later Andrew Bromfield cleverly headed a long distance kick from teammate Chason Timko and suddenly it was a 1-1 game.

"I think a lot of teams might have folded there," Cacia said. It was a tough blow to us to give up the lead like that. But we just kept fighting. That's what makes this team so special."

Chilingaryan almost had the game winner late in the second half but his shot bounced off the post. The Raiders also thought they scored with six minutes left to take the lead but an off-side call negated the goal keeping the game tied and forcing the two teams to go into the extra sessions.

Both teams couldn't net the game winner in either overtime but both teams also had great chances. On one end of the field Raider keeper Greg Koutroukas not only made a great save on a penalty kick from 15 yards out but also made a terrific save on the rebound. Watertown's best chance came when DeSouza just missed the net streaking in from the right side on a partial breakaway.

With both chances by the boards the two squads went to penalty kicks where the Raiders, who went first, outscored the Wildcats 5-3. Besides Yeghiyan's game clincher, the biggest play of the penalty kicks was the save Koutroukas made on junior Sam Cekala. As tough as it is to make a PK save Koutroukas guessed right and made a sensational sprawling stop.

At that point Watertown held a 2-1 edge in penalty kick goals and would not require Koutroukas to make any more saves as the Raiders buried their last three chances to seal the deal.

"We work on penalty kicks all the time in practice so I was pretty confident we would do well in that situation,” Cacia said. "I even act like the referee giving them the ball so we can simulate it exactly like it would be in a game. This helps get their timing down."

After the game, though, Cacia had nothing but positive things to say about his team's opponent.

"They dropped their best player (Timko) back on defense and that didn't allow us to play our game the way we wanted to," Cacia said. "Weston played a great game and made this one really difficult for us."

Cacia also found out that he was named the Eastern Mass coach of the year after going 10-2-6 in the regular season and now he has four tournament wins to add to that total and a D-3 North championship added to his resume.

"I told everyone that I would easily trade that honor to see this team win the North Sectionals," Cacia said. "I grew up in Watertown and this is simply a moment I can't describe. It is so special."

Watertown will now go on to play the South Champs from Dover-Sherborne in the D-3 state semi-finals. Although it wasn't official as of Monday night it appeared that game would also be played at the Manning Bowl on Wednesday November 14 at 7:30 P.M.

"They are very solid," Cacia said of his next opponent. "But at this time of year you are obviously going to run into great teams. This will be another very tough one for us."

Read more: Boys Soccer: Watertown Raiders win with penalty kicks over Weston - Watertown, MA - Watertown TAB http://www.wickedlocal.com/watertown/news/x719492422/Boys-Soccer-Watertown-Raiders-win-with-penalty-kicks-over-Weston#ixzz2C4JL8QBt

11/12/2012Watertown boys move on to State Semi-Finals on PKs

Two evenly matched teams came into the North Section final Monday evening, and 100 minutes of soccer could not separate Watertown and Weston, so the game came down to penalty kicks. The Raiders grabbed the trophy after taking the game 5-3 on penalties.

For the No. 6 seed Raiders (14-2-6) , the win means the farthest the team has advanced in the state tournament in recent memory, while the No. 8 Wildcats’ (12-5-3) season ended in heart wrenching fashion.

Watertown coach Frank Cacia received two honors Monday, but one stood out.

“It means everything. They notified me that I got Eastern Mass coach of the year and I told them that did not want to take the trophy and that I would trade it in for a North Sectional championship trophy,” Cacia said.

Losing on a penalty shootout was a bitter pill to swallow for Weston coach Thomas McEnery.

“We were in it for the whole game, it was just heartbreaking to go out on penalties, to be honest,” McEnery said. “You can’t fault the boys, you cannot fault their effort.”

Watertown started well, and junior midfielder James Kapotsis beat the goalie nearside after getting a crossing pass from a teammate with 22 minutes left in the first half.

Weston did not sit back, however, and nearly scored a minute later. The next attack, the Wildcats’ Andrew Bromfield made the score 1-1 with 20 minutes left in the first half.

The teams battled during the second half, and Watertown hit the post once, and appeared to score the go ahead goal, but the referee ruled the Raiders were offside. Cacia said he was proud that his team kept fighting.

“They didn’t get down on themselves when they thought they scored the winning goal,” Cacia said. “They said it was offsides, and I’m not going to question the officials.”

In overtime, Weston had its chances, including a free kick that Watertown goalie Greg Koutroukas stopped, but let dribble free, and he made a second save on a point-blank shot.

Each side had quality scoring chances before the end of overtime, but neither could end the game.

In the penalty shootout, both teams made their first shot, but Koutoukas saved Weston’s second shot, taken by Sam Cekala.

With the goal advantage, striker Vardan Yeghiyan buried the Raiders’ fifth shot, clinching the section title for Watertown.

Both coaches said they struggled to play their typical game.

“Maybe at times we didn’t keep our composure as well as we could have,” Weston’s McEnery said. “We could have kept the ball on the ground like we have been for the year, but in a game like that where they were putting us under pressure it was very hard.”

Cacia said he would have liked his team to play a more open style, but Weston would not let them.

“They didn’t let us play our game,” Cacia said. “We like to knock the ball around and move it around the pitch. We’re a ball possession team. They are just big boys, Weston is. They made an incredible run.”

Watertown moves on to the state semifinal on Wednesday against South Section champion Dover-Sherborn. The game is at 7:30 p.m. at Quincy’s Veterans Stadium.

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