Boys' Soccer Plays Spoiler on Senior Day [Video]

Capitalizing on a Middletown error and some unfortunate luck in the final two minutes, the Narragansett Mariners earned a 1-1 tie on Friday afternoon and spoiled the Islanders' chances for a share of the division title.

Coming into the game, Middletown (11-4-1 Division II-South) needed a win to force a three-way tie for the division lead, which seemed likely against a Narragansett (5-8-3 Division II-South) squad already eliminated from playoff contention. The previous match between the two on Sept. 30 resulted in a 2-0 Islanders win.

However, the Mariners knotted the game at 1-1 in the 50th minute. Junior Andrew Morvan put pressure on the goalkeeper with a run, which caused him to fumble the ball. When the ball hit the ground, Morvan reared back and knocked it in the back of the net.

The goal erased a strike in the 17th minute by Middletown senior Ryan Bertsch. The Islanders couldn't put another ball past Narragansett junior Zachary McKanna though, despite repeated opportunities.

Also, the Islanders' playoff outlook is now murky because of an unfortunate injury to Bertsch. With about two minutes left, he collided with a Narragansett midfielder and hurt the lower part of his leg. An ambulance had to be called to the field for Bertsch.

With Bertsch gone from the lineup and needing a win for playoff seeding, the Islanders pressed, and switched their goalkeeper for another forward in the final two minutes. However, they couldn't score, and the Mariners missed an opportunity to pop in a late goal.

Despite the missed opportunity for the win, Narragansett head coach Ryan Kanaczet said his team was happy to play the role of spoiler.

"Considering the rest of the season, it ends on a positive note," he said.

The Mariners struggled with injuries throughout the year. Junior Tod Wright missed the final game, and senior captain Zachary Humulock and junior Sajad Hosseini each missed time in the middle of the season. The lineup inconsistency reflect the Mariners' play, as Narragansett couldn't string together two wins in a row the entire season.

WHAT'S NEXT

• For Middletown, the Division II playoffs begin toward the end of next week, or beginning the week of Nov. 7. Middletown is the No. 3 seed from the Southern Division, They will play the No. 6 seed from the Northern Division, which is likely to be Mt. Hope.
• For Narragansett, Kanaczet said he's glad his team went out on a positive note, as opposed to with a loss. Following the season, he said he would meet with senior captain Aaron Libman to talk about his college soccer prospects.