E.P. Romps, Advances in LUSA Cup

FALL RIVER, Mass. – Realistically, East Providence only needed to score a single goal in Wednesday’s second leg first-round matchup with Lindo’s ST. Instead, they took the liberty of scoring three. Just to be safe, of course.

Holding a 2-0 advantage going into the rematch, E.P. scored a crucial road goal then added two more to beat Lindo’s 3-0 to advance to the next round of LUSA Cup play 5-0 on aggregate at Billy Gonsalves Field.

Jimmy Hernandez (26′), Kyle Teixeira (32′) and Tristan Lewis (74′) all scored while Jimmi Underhill kept the host’s half of the board unblemished in a game that ended early after a host of Lindo’s ST players relentlessly berated the referee with 15 minutes remaining.

With a crucial road goal at the forefront of their minds, E.P. pursued it with intensity by using the flanks as to their advantage and whipping passes into the area at will.

Only five minutes in, Lewis ran down the right and punched it into the area for Joaquim DePina, who ripped it point blank before Paul Paiva denied it inches away from his line.

E.P. continued to swarm Lindo’s backline in search of paydirt, and they finally found it in the 26th minute. Hernandez grabbed a hold of a ball sent over the defenders and easily slotted his shot through. The road goal not only gave the guests a 3-0 lead on aggregate, but it backed Lindo’s into the prospect of needing four goals to advance.

But the predicament must have been lost on the hosts. Although they pressed ahead, they were haunted by the assistant referee’s flag after they were waived off three times in the first half.

While Lindo’s struggled to assemble their attack, E.P. had no problem putting the series out of reach for good shortly after the half hour mark.

After he was fouled near the left corner of the area, Teixeira buried his 20-yard effort to give his club the 2-0 lead and put Lindo’s in a five-goal hole on aggregate.

To their credit, Lindo’s nearly got one back in the 35th minute when Flavio Silveira poked through and nearly chipped Underhill for an easy goal. But E.P.’s keeper raced back to corral the floating effort, much to the dismay of the home crowd.

E.P. capped of the scoring in the 74th minute shortly after a Lindo’s defender was called for a foul in front of the box. Despite the loud protests of a number of Lindo’s players, the free kick was awarded to E.P., and a quick restart saw Teixeira play it through to Lewis, the former Swansea City product, who was left free to take a shot past the defenseless keeper.

The goal sent the Lindo’s players into a fury and they made their intentions clear as they charged the referee. But with the game and series out of reach, the club head coach and some of the cooler tempered players agreed to end the game where it was in the 77th minute.

East Providence will return to action on Sunday, when its faces the winner of the Lusitana/Lincoln club series.