Watertown Boys Soccer’s third home game of the early season, and first at Victory Field, was a 5-0 win versus Stoneham Wednesday under the lights. Two first-half goals by senior midfielder Gavin Foley was topped by fellow senior midfielder Aidan Anker, who scored three goals in the second half. Junior goalkeeper Declan Chapron pitched his second shutout of the week, following up a 1-0 shutout over Woburn on Monday.
All coaches dream of teaching and coaching players who are motivated and hardworking and simply good people. Well, Coach Frank Cacia is a very lucky guy because he has that in the 2025 edition of Boys Soccer. That’s not to say Coach Cacia hasn’t had great kids in his tenure. It’s simply to point how hard this group worked in the off-season, and how determined they are to turn that hard work into a successful season, a season that they want to include a tournament bid and a home playoff game. Seven games does not make a season, but this team is on the right path towards those goals.
Watertown entered last night’s game 2-0-4, while Stoneham was 2-3. Watertown’s starting line-up was as follows:
Goalkeeper – Declan Chapron
Defense – Ethan Shrestha, Pietro Marques, Darra Brennock, Sam Shea
Midfielder – Gavin Foley, Aidan Anker, David Hughes, Evan Kurth, Jaoquin Salvi
Striker – Raffi Tonyan
Watertown wasted little time making sure it would be their night thanks to a Gavin Foley goal only 3:17 into the first 40-minute half. Stoneham snuck in a few early scoring opportunities of their own, but Watertown goal keeper Declan Chapron was up to the task, especially on a point-blank strike from about 15 yards out that Chapron saw all the way, diving to his left to block the shot and send it out of harm’s way.
From that point on, the first half saw a lot of play between the 20 yard lines. Any tilting of the field though was done by Watertown. They started piling up the shots on goal, which by the half was 14 to 5 in favor of the Raiders. One of those shots was Gavin Foley’s second goal, just shy of 10 minutes left in the half. Watertown went to the break with a two-nil lead and the confidence that there was more to come- and indeed there was.
The second half was the Aidan Anker show. Three goals, the last of which came on a rebound attempt after he was foiled by the Stoneham goalie on a penalty kick, gave Watertown a convincing 5-0 win in front of a home crowd at their true home field! Two more Victory Field games are to follow next week. Both Watertown and Wakefield will enter next Wednesday’s game versus one-another with a week off to prepare, and next Saturday, Sept. 27, Watertown will host Melrose as part of Soccer Night 2025.
Watertown got many contributions last night that didn’t make the scoresheet. The defense was strong all night, led by Shea and Brennock, who both seemed to be everywhere on the field. Shrestha made his way up front at one point, and along with Hughes and Kurth were active and running the field with a purpose throughout the game. The bench, which saw a lot of action, complemented the play of the starters, especially #15 Callan Casey and #17 Tristan Galeano. To be honest, though, anyone who saw the field last night contributed to a convincing and feel-good win. By the way, the shot total that stood at 14-5 at the half doubled at the final whistle, with Watertown holding a 28-10 edge.
Watertown enters their six-day break at 3-0-4. As of Thursday morning Sept. 18, The Boston Globe has Watertown in first place in the Middlesex League’s Freedom Division. Right below them in the standings? Melrose and Wakefield, their next two opponents. So, undefeated feels good and reflects the work put in by this squad to date, but the schedule next week, albeit back-to-back home games, will remind this squad that it’s what you do in your next game. Coach Cacia will certainly have the squad ready.
And speaking of Coach Frank Cacia, a shout out to him on notching his 250th win as a head coach Monday, Sept. 15th in Watertown’s win over Woburn. Hopefully, the program will enjoy many more wins in the weeks ahead!
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Scoring Summary:
1st Half
3:17… Watertown 1 Stoneham 0… Goal by #6, Gavin Foley
29:55… Watertown 2 Stoneham 0… Goal by #6, Gavin Foley
Shots… Watertown 14 Stoneham 5
2nd Half
6:34… Watertown 3 Stoneham 0… Goal by #10, Aidan Anker
17:43… Watertown 4 Stoneham 0… Goal by #10, Aidan Anker
30:12… Watertown 5 Stoneham 0… Goal by #10, Aidan Anker
Shots… Watertown 14 Stoneham 5
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Box Score:
1 2 F
Stoneham 0 0 0
Watertown 2 3 5
Shots on Goal… Watertown 28 Stoneham 10