FALL RIVER — It was a chilly Monday evening at Durfee High School, but that didn’t stop members of the Big Three Conference and its neighboring competitors from putting on a boys soccer show in the 10th annual Big Three Fall Classic, which the Big Three won 5-4.
This game was the Big Three Conference, which consists of Durfee, New Bedford, and Brockton, pitted against the Neighbors’ all-stars from Div. 3 finalist Greater New Bedford Voke, Dartmouth, Bishop Stang and Dighton-Rehoboth.
After the Big Three shut out the Neighbors 3-0 in the first half, the neighboring teams came out with four goals of their own, but that would not be enough as The Big Three added two second-half goals to give the game its final score. John Dos Santos of New Bedford netted a hat trick for the Big Three in his final high school game as a senior.
“I feel very proud of myself after trying out for this club and loving to play for this club,” Dos Santos said.
All three scores came in the first 14 minutes for the Big Three, with Dos Santos scoring two of those goals, and Durfee’s Kymani Mendez scoring the second, with the Whalers’ Flavio Martins assisting.
The Whalers players added on in the second half, with Carlentz Jean Pierre scoring in the 44th minute off a sweet pass from Durfee’s Ezra Moniz.
Then the Neighboring teams scored three goals in six minutes, with players from three out of the four teams that composed the squad. Dartmouth’s Landon Raposo went to the top of the net in the 61st minute. Dante Mattos of Greater New Bedford scored on a penalty kick in the 65th and Seamus Sullivan of Dighton-Rehoboth tallied in the 67th.
Dos Santos scored his hat trick goal off an assist from Brockton’s Fabrizio Brito in the 70th minute, which would be the game-sealing goal. However, the Neighbors weren’t done yet as Mason Botelho of Greater New Bedford scored off a second penalty kick of the game in the 72nd minute. But the Big Three would keep its lead and win out 5-4.
“I would like to thank coach John Macaroco.” Dos Santos said, “He made me who I am since I was a freshman, making me work hard and try my best on every single game that I could make it into the All-Stars and go in the playoffs.”
Bishop Stang was the only school out of the seven that didn’t have a player register a point. Allan Rocha of Durfee was in goal for the Big Three in the first half, posting a shutout with four saves. Andrew Cabral of Dighton-Rehoboth was the goalie on the Neighbors squad, and he registered three saves.