North Providence boys soccer player suspended after punching Ponaganset players

A North Providence High School boys soccer player has been suspended from the team and the school after punching two opposing players last week.

Last Wednesday, the Cougars hosted Ponaganset. In the second half of a physical game, a North Providence player was shoved in the back by a member of the Chieftains. Coming to his teammate’s defense, a North Providence player and Ponaganset player briefly exchanged words before that North Providence player punched the Ponaganset player in the throat. Another Ponaganset player came running in to defend his teammate and the same North Providence player reportedly punched him in the jaw.

North Providence athletic director Anthony Ficocelli was at the game and witnessed the incident from the sidelines.

“I was concerned, obviously for the people that were involved, whether it was our person that got fouled first or their students, who were hit,” Ficocelli said. “I’m embarrassed because that’s not something we promote here at North Providence High School. We try to be up on sportsmanship.”

A link to video of the game — which continued after the incident and finished tied at 1 — was obtained by The Journal. At the 66-minute mark, the incident can clearly be seen on camera, taking place at the 44-yard line right next to the Cougar logo at midfield.

Punishment from North Providence High School came swiftly. Ficocelli said the player was suspended from school for three days, put on social suspension until the school’s Winter Ball and suspended from the team for five games.

The Journal contacted the North Providence Police Department to find out if charges were filed in the incident. The Rhode Island Interscholastic League is also aware of the incident and working with both schools.

“In accordance with RIIL rules and regulations, the game officials reported that a red card was issued, which carries with it additional consequences beyond ejection from the game,” RIIL executive director Michael Lunney said. “Our office will continue to support member schools to ensure that both RIIL and school policies and procedures are adhered to.”

Ponaganset athletic director Mike Joyce said the school was aware of the incident and would follow RIIL protocols. Citing student privacy laws, Joyce said he couldn’t comment on the health of the two Ponaganset players or if they would be able to return for the Chieftains' next game.

Ficocelli said the student met with North Providence principal Christen Magill the next day. He also said the player, a senior, showed immediate remorse as Ficocelli walked him away from the facility.

“When I talked to him, he said ‘I just lost my cool, I knew I shouldn’t have done that,’ ” Ficocelli said. “He said he was sticking up for his player but he knows he shouldn’t have done it in that way.”

In the immediate aftermath of the two punches, players from Ponaganset and North Providence acted quickly to pull their teammates away from any potential scrum and officials were also quick to act, preventing further incidents from occurring.

In the video, you can hear someone yelling “Get off the field.”

“We did a good job of initially getting it under control so it didn’t escalate into more,” Ficocelli said. “I stayed on the field for the rest of the game and monitored the fans.

“It got chippy again, but the referees did a nice job from there.”

According to Ficocelli, yellow cards were issued late in the game but no further incident occurred. He said both teams took part in the traditional post-match handshake before Ponaganset gathered its belongings and made its way to the bus for the trip back to Glocester.

Ponaganset plays its next game on Wednesday at Prout at 6:30. North Providence played a scoreless draw with Mount St. Charles on Thursday and returns to the field on Tuesday for a home match against Scituate.

The teams are also set to meet again this season. North Providence travels to play Ponaganset on Oct. 19 and Ficocelli is already taking steps to ensure last week’s incident is the only one going forward.

“We had a conversation afterward. They’re well aware and we talked to the captains and they understand the situation,” Ficocelli said. “I know we still have to go to Ponaganset in October, but I don’t foresee any other incidents to that level, at least not from our guys.”

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: North Providence boys soccer player suspended after punching Ponaganset foes