Cleveland and Arts & Sciences are in two different places when it comes to youth in their boys' soccer programs, and Friday night the Blue Raiders left little doubt about who has the advantage.
An early penalty kick was the only boost the veteran Cleveland squad needed as it went on to light up the North River Soccer Complex in a 9-0 win.
"Our guys came out focused on what needed to be done," Blue Raiders coach John Brose said. "The first five to 10 minutes it was going back and forth, and I think that first goal got us going."
That goal came off the foot of Jonathan Collins after a CSAS handball in the box set the visitors up for a penalty kick.
From there, Cleveland's offense took over. Shortly after his penalty, Collins got the ball at the top of the box and fired a shot that was saved by a diving Fisher Latham. Moments later, Collins got the ball in the exact same spot, but this time he finished with a low strike for the 2-0 lead.
"We have a lot of talented guys up front, and the chances we got in the box, we were able to finish," Brose said. "We have old, veteran guys who have played together a long time, and 16 games into the season, things are really clicking."
Chris Pistrang got to a lead pass just a split-second before the keeper and was able to flick it up to himself and head it into the empty net. Tommy Marino put two more in the net, one on a nice one-touch shot off of a pass from the left side.
Despite the 5-0 halftime deficit, CSAS seemed determined to give Cleveland a fight, and the Patriots started the second half with aggressive play that led to some pressure on the Blue Raiders' goal.
"At the half we told them we had another 40-minute game to play, so hopefully the better start was them wiping the slate clean," Patriots coach David Poss said. "We tried some different things in the first half to see what we could look like in the postseason and reverted back to what was working for us in the second half."
CSAS was close to scoring several times and showed flashes of crafty ball movement, but the Patriots were ultimately overmatched.
"This team can posses the ball, but they just don't have the same step as these older, bigger guys," Poss said. "We're young, but we'll get there. I scheduled a tough season, especially at the end, because the tournament is always tough."
Pistrang opened the scoring for Cleveland in the second half and was followed by Luis Martinez for a 7-0 lead. Jackson Millard then blasted a shot that looked like it might rip through the twine before Oscar Amaya wrapped up the scoring.
"We're starting to peak at the right time, and hopefully everything is coming together," Brose said. "Our guys are focused. We've had 10 games without a loss. We just have to get healthy and keep sharpening the blade."