WCAC Playoff Schedule & Results

After a scoreless first half, Gonzaga stepped up the intensity and pounded Saint Mary’s Ryken in a 5-1 victory Tuesday afternoon at RFK’s auxiliary field. The No. 3 seed Eagles now advance to the semifinal round of the WCAC playoffs.

“We wanted to come out in our first playoff game and make a statement. We came out to play hard,” said senior Earl Hamilton.

The first half was characterized by nice defense from both teams. The Eagles came close to scoring on a few occasions, and a nice passing sequence between juniors Max Ruge and Joey Wilkins set up a shot for Hamilton that was just barely stopped by Saint Mary’s Ryken senior keeper Anthony Varbero.

The Knights had their chances as well, and came closest to scoring when Gonzaga senior keeper Chris Rubel came out too far, but recovered in time to help senior defender Marcus Henderson clear the ball. Both Rubel and Varbero had a couple of excellent saves throughout the match.

Gonzaga began scoring about five minutes into the second half when senior Sean Cantarella sent a pass from Hamilton into the corner of the Knights’ net. This duo produced another goal five minutes later when Hamilton passed the ball right over Varbero’s head and put the ball in perfect position for Cantarella to tap it in.

Junior Jacques Cassagnol scored next for the Eagles. The Knights responded with a goal by midfielder John Taylor Gregg on a hard shot from several yards out less than a minute later. Hamilton then answered with a goal of his own for the Eagles after a great run and some nice footwork down the side of the field. These three goals came within a minute and a half of each other.

The final goal of the match came when Varbero saved a shot from senior Xavier Franco, but couldn’t quite clear the ball, and senior Edwin Jones capitalized for the Eagles.

“We were kind of hoping we would do better,” said Gregg after the match. “But we still think we played pretty good, and we hope next year we’ll do better.”

“Every team in the WCAC is good. We knew we had to play hard, no game is easy, and we’re happy with today,” said Hamilton.

Some of the fans in attendance loudly protested calls by the officials, and several players questioned the officiating on the field as well. Senior defender Kevin Barr of Saint Mary’s Ryken was reprimanded by the referee after he protested the lack of an offsides call after the Eagles’ second goal. After getting tangled with an opposing player, senior Will Carroll of Gonzaga was called for a penalty and received a yellow card after he shouted at the official.

“The refs could have been better, but they called what they called and that’s that. It was mostly fair,” said Gregg.

“I thought [the officiating] was fair. People resort to protesting that when they start to lose,” said Cassagnol.

Next up for the Eagles, who now have 12 league wins this season, is a WCAC semi-final game this Friday. Saint Mary’s Ryken finished their season with a 9-12-2 record (including their playoff loss).

“We look at the playoffs one game at a time. We can’t look too far ahead. We just have to enjoy this, focus on our next game and play hard,” said Cassagnol.

Scoring Summary:

Gonzaga Goals: Sean Cantarella (2), Jacques Cassagnol, Earl Hamilton, Edwin Jones
Saves: Chris Rubel (8)

Saint Mary’s Ryken Goals: John Taylor Gregg
Saves: Anthony Varbero (11)