La Salle and North Kingstown will play for the Div. I soccer title. How they got there
PROVIDENCE — Will this finally be North Kingstown’s time? Not if La Salle has anything to say about it.
The Rams have made a habit of winning Division I boys soccer championships in odd-numbered years, and they’ll have a chance to claim another Sunday at Rhode Island College. The Skippers booked the second ticket to the title match Wednesday night on the same field.
Johnluca Frenzilli's goal was enough to push North Kingstown past Bishop Hendricken, 1-0, in the late semifinal. La Salle used second-half goals from Evan Conceicao and John Rodehorst to build a lead and held off Cumberland, 2-1, in the opener.
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“In the playoffs anyone can be a surprise,” North Kingstown keeper Ethan Ford said. “It’s all competitive. Anything can happen.”
“Finals are always a special time,” Rodehorst said. “You’ve got to lock in. You’ve got to be as focused as possible.”
It’s a third straight trip to the last weekend for the Skippers, and the previous two have ended in heartbreak. North Kingstown suffered a 1-0 setback to the Rams in 2021 and saw their perfect season ended by rival South Kingstown, 3-1, in 2022. Graduation losses like Connor Froberg and Dan Goba couldn’t prevent the Skippers from coming within 80 minutes of the pinnacle yet again.
“This year we weren’t sure about it because we were missing some big players,” North Kingstown coach Paul Fanning said. “But it’s been fun to see. Getting goals from a lot of different people instead of just a couple people.
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“It’s one where we really had to work. We didn’t really control the game very well.”
The Rams dropped their season opener against the Hawks and have done nothing but win ever since. They’ll carry a 15-match streak into the 12 p.m. kickoff thanks to the state’s premier midfield. La Salle held on despite the absence of standout Moises Morales (knee), with Conceicao, Max Jackson and Edgar Barillas leading the way.
“We know it’s our year,” Conceicao said. “We’ve grinded from July on. There was no reason we were going to be here and not win this game.”
North Kingstown (12-2-2) won a 5-4 thriller with the Hawks (12-2-2) last season and battled to a 3-3 draw with them in September. Those fireworks were absent on this chilly night, as both teams refused to allow much open space. The Skippers netted their lone goal on a ball over the top by Mikiyas Ashenafi, one that parachuted into the box and set up Frenzilli for a finish from close range.
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“It was just having team chemistry,” Ford said. “Yes, we had two All-Americans go. It was just important having the team together and still being confident.”
The Hawks applied the pressure after going behind in the 31st minute. Ford was under siege through a series of set pieces but North Kingstown was able to keep a clean sheet. The nerviest moment came midway through the second half, as a header off a corner kick forced Ford to make a save on the line with his right hand.
“We’ve been working on that and emphasizing it,” Fanning said. “But it did take a really big save on the goal line to pull that off.”
The first semifinal was an attacker’s delight. The Rams (15-1-0) needed a couple key stops from Nikolaos Panagos to keep the Clippers (10-5-1) off the board while Cumberland keeper Jack Giannini produced his own highlight reel through the opening 64 minutes. The breakthrough finally came from Conceicao, who slithered his way up the left wing and beat Giannini from a tight angle.
“I said, ‘That’s my specialty,’” Conceicao said. “I went right at them, took them down the line and placed it in the back of the net. There’s no other feeling like putting the ball in the back of the net.”
La Salle doubled the lead just three minutes later. Jackson stepped through the defense for a shot that was stopped at the left post, but Rodehorst was waiting. He pounced on the spilled rebound and hammered home what turned out to be the clincher.
“I know once we get our 1-2s going with Max, once we get the shot off, I know I’ll be there if something pops out,” Rodehorst said. “It happened to pop out and I was glad to bury it.”
That seemed to settle the issue, but the Clippers – who eliminated the Rebels in the quarterfinals – didn't come this far to quit. Caden Moreira’s cutback off the right wing set up Colin Yost for a pinpoint left-footed strike that found the top left corner. Cumberland had eight minutes to save its season, an effort that ultimately came up shy of a first finals berth since 2005.
CUMBERLAND (1): Colin Yost; assist – Caden Moreira.
LA SALLE (2): Evan Conceicao, John Rodehorst; assist – Max Jackson.
Halftime – 0-0. Saves – Jack Giannini, C, 13; Nikolaos Panagos, LS, 6.
BISHOP HENDRICKEN (0): No scoring.
NORTH KINGSTOWN (1): Johnluca Frenzilli; assist – Mikiyas Ashenafi.
Halftime – NK, 1-0. Saves – Angelo Roca, BH, 7; Ethan Ford, NK, 5.
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: La Salle and North Kingstown will play for the Div. I boys soccer title
