BERLIN- Worcester Prep’s boys’ varsity soccer team closed out the regular season with a couple of shutout wins this week to capture the Eastern Shore Independent Athletic Conference (ESIAC) regular season championship.
The Mallards routed Salisbury Christian, 8-0, last Friday behind senior Tucker Brown’s first career hat trick. Vincent Petrera also scored three goals while Porter Bunting added two. Brown got Worcester on the board first with a goal around the midpoint of the first half, firing home a rebound after a shot by Petrera.
Petrera scored the next two goals for Worcester, which took a 3-0 lead into halftime. At the start of the second half, Petrera scored again for Worcester off an assist by Brown as the pattern continued. Brown then scored from about 25 yards out with a bomb into the upper corner. Brown scored his third and final goal of the contest with a breakaway, beating the Salisbury Christian goalkeeper in a one-on-one situation with a hard shot into the lower corner.
Bunting converted a penalty kick to extend Worcester’s lead to 7-0, then finished out the scoring with a long shot from about 30 yards out into the upper right corner to close out the 8-0 for the Mallards. Cooper Richins was outstanding in the net for Worcester with nine saves including two great diving saves to preserve the shutout.
Worcester was back in action on Monday on the road against Holly Grove and finished with another shutout. Petrera scored two first-half goals, the first coming off an assist by Brown. Brenner Maull added Worcester’s third goal of the game with a beautiful chip over the Holly Grove defense and into the corner of the net. Richins was again strong in goal for Worcester with 10 saves. With the pair of wins, Worcester captured the ESIAC regular season championship. The Mallards’ record now stands at 10-1-1.
