Mallards Sweep Two, Improve To 4-1

Mallards Sweep Two, Improve To 4-1
Worcester Prep’s Gavin Carmody races Gunston defenders to the ball in front of the Herons’ net in the second half of Tuesday’s 3-1 win. Photo by Shawn Soper

BERLIN- Worcester Prep’s boys’ varsity soccer team swept two games this week to improve to 4-1 on the season.

Last Friday, the Mallards blanked Delmarva Christian on the road, 3-0. After a scoreless first half, Vincent Petrera broke it open in the second half with three unanswered goals. Cooper Richins was solid in the net with eight saves to record the shutout.

Worcester was back in action at home on Tuesday against Gunston and had its hands full before pulling away. Gunston got on the board early with a rebound goal to take a 1-0 lead. With 40 seconds remaining in the first half, Petrera launched a shot from the perimeter and the Herons’ keeper made a great save, but Gavin Carmody was in the right spot and perfectly played the carom to tie the game at 1-1.

About six minutes into the second half, Petrera was tripped in the Gunston box and converted the direct penalty kick to give Worcester its first lead at 2-1. Petrera added another goal with about 10 minutes left after beating the Gunston defenders on the dribble to seal the 3-1 win. Shots in the game were almost even with 11 for Worcester and 10 for Gunston. Richins recorded nine saves on 10 shots.

About The Author: Shawn Soper

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Shawn Soper has been with The Dispatch since 2000. He began as a staff writer covering various local government beats and general stories. His current positions include managing editor and sports editor. Growing up in Baltimore before moving to Ocean City full time three decades ago, Soper graduated from Loch Raven High School in 1981 and from Towson University in 1985 with degrees in mass communications with a journalism concentration and history.