New England Soccer Today

Boston City Back in Action vs. Mariners

Photo credit: Chris Aduama/aduamaphotography.com

After getting a well-deserved break thanks to last weekend’s bye week, Boston City FC ends a 10-day hiatus on Saturday at 3:00pm when they host the Seacoast United Mariners at Malden Catholic High School in Malden, Mass.

Saturday’s match will be the Lions’ first since last week’s U.S. Open Cup second-round defeat to BSSL’s GPS Omens. With its U.S. Open Cup dreams dashed, Boston City turns its focus to NPSL’s Atlantic White Conference, where they sit in third place with a 1-0-2 record, two points behind division leader Hartford City FC (2-0-1).

Thanks to last week’s bye, the team has been able to rest captain Renaldo Vieira, midfielder Filipe Dutra, and striker Yaw Addow. Other key players, such as Nana Addai, were given the opportunity to catch their breaths after appearing in four games over a two-week span earlier this month.

Addai, who was named NPSL Player of the Week last week, has added another weapon to the Lions’ deep midfield, with three goals this season, all against his former club, the Rhode Island Reds.

“I’m a team player, a playmaker who wants to make the players around me successful,” said Addai on the club’s official website. “We still have a lot of work to do and we can get better. I am a hard worker and a very dedicated soccer player who always wants to contribute to the success of my team and teammates.”

For the visitors, it has been a frustrating start to the season to say the least. The Mariners suffered a 2-0 loss at Hartford City in their season opener, then a dropped 1-0 home defeat to the Rhode Island Reds, making them the only team in the NPSL Atlantic White Division yet to score a goal.

The offensive struggles for the Mariners is nothing new, as the Mariners scored a division-low 14 goals last season, which ended with a last-place finish and a 2-11-3 (9 points) record.

Boston City is hoping to continue the success they experienced against the Mariners last season, when they took all six points in their two matches against their Maine-based conference foes. Addow and Jhonata Batista both scored in a 2-1 road victory in Portland, Me., while Homero Morais was the lone scorer in a tight 1-0 home win later in the season.

Saturday’s match will be streamed live at bostoncityfc.com.

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