Submitted by V Kaushik for the Boy’s U11 Bucs Soccer Team
It is an old adage that defense wins championships. In the 34th annual Natick Columbus Day soccer tournament, featuring over 340 teams (some from as far away as Canada), the BU11 Bucs soccer team proved there is merit to the adage.
The Bucs used a suffocating defense to steamroll their way to 5 straight wins and a championship in the boys U11 gamma group. The Bucs dominated their opponents, outscoring them 24-1 over the five games to secure the championship.
The Bucs opened the tournament with a win Saturday morning against the Framingham Flyers 6-0, as Adam Capobianco and Eric Miles each netted a hat trick (3 goals apiece). The Bucs played a doubleheader on Sunday, taking the first game 4-0 against the Lincoln Blizzard. Thomas Ou and Devan Kaushik controlled the midfield, while Rich Fedele, Luca Melfi, and PJ King manned the defense. Goalie Amin Rahim pitched yet another shutout in the second game, a 4-0 victory over the Natick Phantoms. Tremendous offensive and defensive play by Colin Viera and Ben Dubrovskiy highlighted the evening tilt. Anirudh Kumar scored off of a well-placed corner kick and overall the Bucs team defense stopped a number of opposition runs toward the goal. The victory secured the number one seed for the semifinals and finals held on Monday.
The semifinal was a rematch against Lincoln, with Bedford running away with a 6-1 win. Charlie Jones tallied a goal, as did Fedele, Ou, and Capobianco. The win placed the Bucs in the finals where they again played Framingham. Kaushik started the scoring for the Bucs, followed by Capobianco, off a beautiful assist from Wynn Sheridan. Austin Cullis added a goal and the stifling defense led by Melfi, Fedele, and Rahim in the net shutout the opposition 4-0 en route to the championship. The boys displayed tremendous focus and determination throughout the weekend, and importantly a great sense of sportsmanship to which opposing coaches attested after each contest. Congratulations Bucs on a well-deserved championship!
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