By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – On the day Bedford North Lawrence honored the 40-year anniversary of the program’s club-sport beginning, the current Stars needed a little more of the 1980s flair. The defense was rockin’ the Aviators, but the offense was a few strands shy of a mullet. They didn’t flow enough.
Providence’s timeless style was successful. Control, possess and surge forward. The Pioneers played that to perfection while posting a 1-0 victory over BNL on Saturday, converting a first-half goal and refusing to grant the Stars a quality look at an equalizer.
Evan Gilmore-Groan directed a soft shot into the left corner of the net, converting Oliver Fox’s pass at the 20-yard mark, with 8:40 left in the half. That was all the Pioneers got, that was all they needed.
“We created a lot of chances, maybe not as many good chances as we wanted,” Providence coach Jake Stengel said. “But we had them under pressure in the second half. Sometimes you have to win that way.”
Providence (2-2-2) is familiar with a tough, grinding game. The Pioneers have already faced three ranked opponents and two high-level local rivals during the first two weeks of the season. They made the most of 12 shots while limiting the Stars (2-4) to only four.
“Our guys did a good job of keeping possession, not turning the ball over,” Stengel said. “That really helped us prevent opportunities coming from the other direction.”
BNL was willing to keep defenders back, and the chances it generated were quality. Just not quantity.
“We held our wings, dropped in deeper, then when we got the ball they tried to release into the attack. We had more bodies back,” said BNL assistant Joseph Brazzell, who was in charge as head coach Reeve Arce served a mandatory one-game suspension after receiving a red card during BNL’s match at Barr-Reeve on Thursday.
”We had some great opportunities. On other days, we put those away. We have guys that can finish. I am proud of their effort.”
BNL goalie Owen Williams was busy with eight saves. The one that got through was not the hardest he faced, but it was the most accurate.
The Stars will seek to end their four-game slide when they visit New Albany on Thursday.
