Pittsfield Knocks Off Agawam at Home

PITTSFIELD, Mass. – Kyle Cardoso and Gustavo De Oliveira connected for a pair of goals Tuesday as the Pittsfield boys soccer team blanked Agawam, 3-0, at Kirvin Park.

 

De Oliveira, who also scored the game-winner in the 14th minute, fed Cardoso for headers with a corner kick late in the first half and a free kick from the right wing early in the second half.

 

“Gus and I, we love each other, man,” Cardoso said of the connection he shares with his fellow PHS senior. “In practice, games, we just look for each other. We’ve got that bond – even outside of soccer.”

 

It’s a link that has Cardoso leading the Generals in goals this season with nine and De Oliveira tops on the team in assists with six.

 

Together, they have helped Pittsfield start the year 5-1-2 and grab the top-ranking in Division 4 in the commonwealth in the latest MIAA in-season power rankings.

 

On Tuesday, the Generals avenged one of their two ties and picked up a couple of points in the Churchill Division standings.

 

In the second game of the season, Agawam earned a 3-3 tie when the teams met.

 

“Mistakes, simple as that,” PHS coach Ryan Wanek said of the Sept. 5 match. “Down there, we made three big mistakes, and they all led to goals. Here, we made one big mistake. Thankfully, we got it out of our own net.

 

“But it was just about cleaning up our mistakes against Agawam in the first game, because we didn’t play our best, whatsoever. And that’s expected in the beginning of the season. Now, it’s expected to grind out those things and not make those same mistakes.”

 

Pittsfield had a couple of good scoring chances early. Cardoso had a shot on goal off a through ball from De Oliveira in the seventh minute, and Amos Azon got a head on a Cardoso cross from the left wing that went just wide of the goal in the 11th minute.

 

But Agawam also threatened in the opening stages, generating back-to-back corner kicks in the 13th minute of a scoreless game.

 

“They are fantastically coached,” Wanek said of Agawam. “I can tell they play quick – one-, two-touch, the movement is fantastic. They were all over us the first 10 minutes. As a matter of fact, they were pretty much all over us in the first half.”

 

But it was Pittsfield that got the ball in the net.

 

The play started when Prosper Ezan Jr. intercepted a clearing pass by an Agawam defender along the right wing touch line.

 

Ezan got the ball to Amos Ezan, who fought through a defender and found De Oliveira about 22 yards from goal in the middle of the field. De Oliveira took a touch to create some space and then fired a shot from 20 yards out that found the back of the net to make it 1-0.

 

Three minutes later, Cardoso headed in De Oliveira’s cross on a corner kick from the right wing to make it 2-0.

 

And that is where it stood at half-time, but not without a stellar play by PHS sophomore back Armando Coreas, who made a sliding defensive save to clear a ball off the end line in front of the goal in the 32nd minute.

 

Pittsfield keeper Connor Devine had five saves in the first half and eight in the game. He got another assist later on from Cardoso, who moved to the back in the late stages and headed a ball out of danger in the 73rd minute of play.

 

“That’s what we stress on this team is clean sheets,” Wanek said. “Keep a clean sheet, and you can’t lose a game. It’s as simple as that. So we’re working hard on that.

 

“The play from Armando was fantastic. I don’t know if it was going in or hitting the post, but, nonetheless, he got it out of there, which is great. And I thought we just played great team defense – all 11 behind the ball.”

 

In the 46th minute, Cardoso headed home a free kick by De Oliveira to make it a three-goal margin and give the Generals their second set piece goal of the match.

 

“We’ve been working diligently and very hard at set pieces,” Wanek said. “And, you know, the boys obviously hate it, because it’s very slow [in practice], and a lot of them lose focus.

 

“But, as you can tell, when you’re locked in and complete the little things in a set piece, you can finish and get some key goals out of that. And it’s another way to score. You have to take advantage of those things.”

 

Pittsfield heads on the road Thursday to face Minnechaug.

 

Photos from this game to come.