'They deserved this run': No. 26 D-R's underdog run ended by No. 3 Norwell in Final Four
WEYMOUTH — After an impressive run of form that took them deep into the tournament, Dighton-Rehoboth's self-described "roller coaster season" has come to a close.
The No. 26 Falcons (13-2-8) met their match Tuesday night in No. 2 Norwell (19-2-2) as the Clippers netted a pair of second half goals to earn a 2-0 win in the Division 3 Final Four at Weymouth High School.
"I’m super proud of the boys," D-R coach Mike Morgado said. "They worked hard, especially during this tournament, and we made a nice little run. I’m just extremely proud of the boys. The seniors, they stepped it up. It’s tough, but we played up against a very well-organized Norwell team."
While Norwell controlled possession for much of the match, the Falcons were able to hold them at bay in the first half with junior goalkeeper Brennan Silva making several key saves. The Clippers, however, were able to break through in the 42nd minute as senior forward Ronan Blake dispossessed senior defender Spencer Jones in front of net and put a quick shot past Silva to open the scoring.
After some more back-and-forth, Norwell doubled their lead in the 56th minute as a free kick by senior midfielder Zachary Bello from the edge of the box found its way to sophomore forward Bret Amorosino, who buried it in the top left corner.
"We just got a little bit unlucky there with that first goal," Morgado said. "I give a lot of credit to Norwell. It’s super nice to see how those guys play and I’m glad to see that there are still teams that put the ball down and play a lot of soccer."
The loss marks not only the end of the season, but the end of a 14-match unbeaten streak dating back to early October when the Falcons fell 4-2 to Old Rochester in their only other loss of the year. D-R had five straight wins coming into the contest and had gone 8-2-0 in their past 10 matches, a far cry from their 4-3-1 start.
As for the tournament itself, D-R did not have an easy path by any means.
After defeating No. 39 Assabet Valley 1-0 at home in the preliminary round, the Falcons went out on the road and upset No. 7 Blackstone Valley 2-1, then took down Western Mass. powerhouse No. 23 Belchertown 2-0 before scoring their biggest update of the postseason with a 4-1 thrashing of No. 2 Gloucester.
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"The boys turned it on during this tournament and it was exciting," Morgado said. "We were underdogs the whole time. The four teams that were left were No. 1 (Oakmont), No. 3 (Norwell), No. 4 (Pembroke) and No. 26, so when you look at it that way, I’m just extremely proud of the boys."
With the season coming to a close, the Falcons say goodbye to their 10-man senior class, many of whom also played a role in D-R's 2021 tournament run that saw them reach the Elite Eight. While often compared to that squad, this year's Falcons team made it one round further for the deepest run in program history.
"They’ve put in a lot of work over the four years they’ve been here," Morgado said. "This is my first kind of graduating class. I’ve had these young men here for four years and they deserved this run."
He also was proud of their ability to make it that one step further, something he hopes bodes well for the future of the program.
"We’re just building the program slowly and with these guys now, it was nice for them to break through that ceiling there and get past the Round of Eight this time, so it’s fairly new to us and we’re going to keep building and keep working," Morgado said.
Additionally, D-R will be returning several key juniors next year, including Silva, defenders Ben Miller and Tiago Conceicao and forward/midfielders Johnny Franco and Aiden Marando.
"I’m excited," Morgado said of the future. "They’re good players and there’s a lot of good kids returning. Obviously it’ll be tough replacing some of those seniors that we are losing (though)."
As they walked off the pitch for one last time, Morgado expressed his admiration for the Class of 2024 and their lasting impact on the program, one that won't be forgotten soon.
"We’ve spent a lot of time together and have become a little family, so they’ll be missed but these seniors have nothing to hang their heads about," Morgado said. "They’ve accomplished a lot and out of the four years they’ve been here, they’ve probably been the most successful group that’s gone through D-R. The road ends here today, but it just begins for the next group that comes up behind them."
Taunton Daily Gazette sports reporter Cameron Merritt can be reached at cmerritt@tauntongazette.com. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @CamMerritt_News. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to the Taunton Daily Gazette today.
This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: No. 26 D-R sees underdog playoff run ended by No. 3 Norwell in Final 4
