Bolts, Sentinels fight to draw!
​by Alex Sponseller (​Cranston Herald)

    The Cranston East boys soccer team is off to a nice start this fall, winning its first two non-league matchups then tying Smithfield 1-1 in the league opener last week on the road.
     Returning senior standout Curtis Horace would find the back of the net in the first half to give East the 1-0 lead, but the Sentinels would come out hot in the second and return the favor early in the period.
     The Bolts would regain their legs in the final 10 minutes of play and dominate the possession battle, but they would not be able to find the back of the net despite multiple shots on goal in the final two minutes. East would also have two shots ring off the cross bar as they struggled to push one through.
     “I thought we played a great game overall, but we just came out in the second half flat as can be. We also had two shots off the crossbar, we were just a few inches away from winning that game,” said East coach Richard Grenier.
     East was led by keeper Christian Gomez, who finished with 13 saves and actually picked up an assist on Horace’s goal as he made the deep pass which set up the score.
     “After I grabbed the ball I saw that we had a short field so I just threw it far as I could to give someone a chance to make a play. I never would’ve thought that it would’ve played out that way,” said Gomez.
     Gomez has big shoes to fill this season as he takes over in net for All-Division keeper David White, who graduated last spring. The results have been positive through three games and Grenier feels that East may have found something in the keeper.
     “I think that Christian has a chance to keep us in every game. I think he is going to be an all-division goalie by the end of the season. He’s made the transition from defender last year and has done a great job. He’s very fast very athletic, he attacks the ball,” said Grenier.
     Although the Bolts would have liked to start the season off with a win, Gomez was felt that the team maintained its confidence in the tie and is looking forward to leading the way from the net.
     “Goalie is my original position, so the transition has not been bad. I am confident and I have that vision and instincts already. We would rather have a tie than a loss, so we are still very confident,” said Gomez. “We are going to have a good year.”      

Cranston East blanks Bulldogs, 1-0!

   After losing a heart-breaking 1-0 match to Tiverton, the Thunderbolt of Cranston East bounced back with a 1-0 victory over Westerly. 
     Senior Brandon Natareno who had a tremendous game as a defender, scored the only goal of the game with 16 minutes left in the first half on a 30-yard liner that deflected off a defender.  
     Co-Captain Christian Gomez had another solid game in goal with nine saves to pick up the win.  
     The 'Bolt moved their league record to 1-1-1 (4 points) and their overall record to 3-1-1.  

Broncos come from behind
to beat 'Bolt, 4-2!

      Cranston East's trouble playing on a grass field looked like a thing of the past when they took leads of 1-0 and 2-1 against Burrillville. 
     The Broncos, however, came from behind and scored three goals in a twenty minute span from the end of the first half  (18:56) to the beginning of the seocnd half (38:50) to pull out a 4-2 league victory.  
     Although the 'Bolt outshot the Blue and White, 8-2, in the second half, they could not get any closer.
     Junior Fabricio Mariscal scored both goals for East.  Brandon Natareno and Gabe Leon each had one assist.  

Shorthanded 'Bolt struggle against Oakers!

     Despite a solid effort by goalkeeper Christian Gomez (11 saves) and defenders Braiden Shaw, Marvin Lazo, Viobel Sothea, Brandon Natareno and Aniel Rodriguez, the shorthanded Thunderbolt lost 2-0 to last year's State Runner-Up, the Coventry Oakers. 
     Cranston East had several opportunities inside the box, missing five shots from within six yards.  

Thunderbolt and Mariners play to a 0-0 tie!

   Senior Christian Gomez (9 saves) earned his second league shutout against the Mariners of Narragansett.  

'Bolt struggle on natural grass in loss to Wizards!

      Playing their third game of the year on natural grass   (0-2-1), the Thunderbolt lost to the Wizards of West Warwick to close out the first half of the year with four points (1-4-2).   
     The green and white, who are 3-4-2 (overall), allowed three or more goals for only the second time this season.     
    Down 3-0 late in the second half, Fabricio Mariscal scored when Gabriel Leon found him open inside the box.  
     Freshman goalkeeper Camden Fermin saw his first varsity action, playing the final fifteen minutes.  With less than eight minutes remaining, Fermin was inches away from a save on a penalty kick by West Warwick.  
Bolt Notes: 
*  Over the past two years, Cranston East has posted a 0-5-3 record when playing  on natural grass. 

​*  The Thuderbolt, who play their home games on artificial turf, last won on grass in a 4-2 victory over Hope High School on September 24, 2021.   

*  The Thunderbolt will play six of their final seven games on artificial turf. ​
You can watch a game live or on demand
​at Fans Only Sportz Newtork . 
​
9-5-23 Cranston East 5  Toll Gate 2
9-12-23 Tiverton 1  Cranston East 0
9-15-23 Cranston East 1 Westerly 0
If you want to see a game live or that has been played (past seasons available), you will have to subscribe to the NFHS Network  (monthly bill).   You can cancel the subscription at anytime.  
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Senior Brandon Natareno
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Junior Fabricio Mariscal
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Junior Gabriel Leon
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Senior Darius Vongnikone
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Junior Aaron Morales
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Sophomore Gavin Kilduff
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Senior Marvin Lazo

‘Bolts down Wizards in annual Injury Fund, 3-1!

     Fueled by a strong second half, Cranston East defeated the Wizards of West Warwick, 3-1, in the annual RIIL Injury Fund games. 
     In a game that was only fifty minutes long (two 25-minute halves), the Green and White received strong offensive performances by junior Fabricio Mariscal (two goals) and senior Curtis Horace (one goal).  

‘Bolts Start off hot with 5-2 win over Toll Gate!

     BY CHARLIE ADAMS, TSM VP/LEAD WRITER
     (Cranston, RI) - Cranston East boys’ soccer got the ball rolling (literally and figuratively) this Tuesday as they faced off in a non-league match against the D-3 Toll Gate Titans in their season opener at Cranston Stadium. The ‘Bolts return following a season that saw them narrowly miss the playoffs by one game. They look to make it over the hump this season despite losing many key players from last year’s starting 11. East got off on the right foot as they won their first match of the season with a dominating score of 5-2.
     David White’s graduation left a void in the net for the ‘Bolts. This season it will be filled by his backup as Christian Gomez steps into the starting keeper role. Head Coach Richard Grenier will be looking towards his new captains: Braiden Shaw, Curtis Horace, and Darius Vongnikone,  Brandon Natareno and Gomez to lead this team towards success. 
    Fabricio Mariscal was the first scorer of the new season. The junior rocketed a goal from about 10 yards out early in the opening half, putting the ‘Bolts in the lead 1-0.
​     Gabriell Leon’s shot was blocked by a sprawling save by the Titan’s keeper, but Curtis Horace was there to touch it into the net off of the rebound. The Thunderbolts led 2-0 with less than 15 minutes elapsed in the contest.
Less than 10 minutes later, the speedy Horace struck for his second goal of the half as the ‘Bolts led 3-0.
Sothea Vibol joined the fun, scoring a 25-yard ball that was just barely out of the reach of Toll Gate’s keeper.
     A penalty kick by Aiden Preuit put the Titans on the board at the end of the half. The ‘Bolts led 4-1 heading into the break.
     Horace returned the favor as he crossed a pass for Leon to put in the back of the net immediately after the second half kicked off. Cranston East led 5-1 with over 35 minutes in the half.
     Ryan Enos worked on clawing Toll Gate back into the contest as he answered the Thunderbolts’ goal to make it 5-2. That score remained the same for the rest of the contest as East pulled out the win.
      There can’t be many complaints in a strong 5-2 victory. The offense looked remarkable and the team played cohesively for their opening game. It seems like they could be the most promising group Cranston East has this season. The team will be tested when they open up Division II league action on Friday when they travel to Smithfield for a 4:30 PM start.
     To keep up on all things regarding Thunderbolt sports, please visit @tbsportsmedia on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.

Boys’ Soccer Knocks Off Westerly for
First League Win!
by Charlie Adams
​(TSM Vice President & Lead Writer) 

(Cranston, R.I.) - The Cranston East boys’ soccer team returned to action on Friday at Cranston Stadium. They faced off against Westerly’s Bulldogs as they tried to bounce back from a close 1-0 defeat against Tiverton. They flipped the script of their last game, taking down Westerly 1-0.
     A close loss to Tiverton was marred by a multitude of injuries for the ‘Bolts, but it seemed by their matchup this Friday that most of those injured had recovered. The biggest addition to the team though, was team captain Braiden Shaw making his season debut.
     Brandon Natareno put the ‘Bolts in the lead with a 30-yard bomb that crossed up the Bulldogs’ goalkeeper. The only scoring in the first half put the team up 1-0.
     A scary injury for Westerly that required an ambulance on the field delayed part of the second half, following the pause in action the rest of the game consisted of zero scoring,
      To keep up on all things regarding Thunderbolt sports, go to www.tbsportsmedia.com and @tbsportsmedia on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. Be sure to check out Thunderbolt Sports Talk, the brand new podcast from TSM’s Charlie Adams and Tim Yean. Link on tbsportsmedia.com and on Spotify.

Northmen continue their winning ways over East!

     North Smithfield won their eighth consecutive game of the year in a 7-1 win over the Thunderbolt of Cranston East.  
     The Northmen, who have lost in the playoffs the past two seasons, are now 31-1-5 in regular season play over the past three years.   During this time, they have outscored their Division II opponents, 144-23.  
     The 'Bolts lone goal came in the second half when Peter Thomas chipped a pass to Cesar Huallanca who scored his first goal of the year.  

'Bolt JV defeat Wizards, 3-1!

     The Cranston East Junior Varsity team improved their season record to  5-2-1 with a 3-1 victory over West Warwick.   
     Cesar Huallanca scored two goals in the second half  and Mateo Zurita scored a goal in the first half to lead the Thurderbolt. 
     Freshman Max Catrambone did not allow a goal in the second half to pick up the victory.  
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​The 'Bolts, who once had a 31-game streak without  being issued a card from 2013-2015, have averaged less than four cards (3.25) per year (188 games ) during the 2013-2023 seasons (10-6-23).  
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Photo by Charlie Adams

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