E.P. Edges Taunton 4-3

East Providence withstood a late rush from Taunton Sports and claimed a 4-3 win at Pepe Amaral Field Saturday night.

TAUNTON, Mass. – A ten-man Taunton Sports (1-1-0, 3 points) scored a trio of goals, but East Providence Sports (2-0-0, 6 points) survived thanks to a Joaquin dePina goal in the 81st minute to give the guests a 4-3 win at Pepe Amaral Field on Saturday.

Armando Gomes, Kyle Teixeira and Tristan Lewis preceded dePina on the scoresheet for E.P., while Nicholas Ferrara, Tiago Dourado and Genair DeSousa all struck for Taunton. Goalkeepers Sergio Rivas Cruz and Jimmi Underhill both made a series of diving saves to withstand some enterprising attacks.

E.P. wasted no time getting on the board when Peter Maciel put a shot on frame that Cruz stopped in its tracks. But the rebound fell to Gomes, who tapped it through to give the guests the lead three minutes in.

The guests pressed with sharp one-touch passing, which created a number of problems within Taunton’s back four. And one of those problems would put Taunton in a predicament just after the half hour mark.

In the 32nd minute, Cruz denied Alonso Villasenor at the left post, but the rebound strayed toward Lewis at the far post. The midfielder quickly put it on frame, but the shot went off the left arm of defender Leivinha Miranda on the line. The referee immediately awarded E.P.  a penalty, and issued Miranda a red card. Moments later, Teixeira buried it from the spot.

But a minute later, Taunton roared right back. Despite Miranda’s red card, they went right at the E.P. back line and put a shot on frame. But Underhill couldn’t collect it and amid a momentary lapse of confusion, Ferrara pushed it through to cut the lead in half in the 33rd minute.

E.P. regained its two-goal lead in the 41st when Teixeira sent it to Lewis out on the right, and the winger nailed it past Cruz to make it 3-1 going into the half.

Yet, Taunton refused to bow down before its opponent. Their attacks intensified as the game approached the final ten minutes. And in 79th minute, Dourado got a good look at goal and fired it through to put Taunton within striking distance.

Once again, E.P. replied in kind when Teixeira crossed it into the area, where it fell to dePina on the doorstep. And from there, it was elementary, as the midfielder immediately tucked it under the bar in the 81st minute.

Taunton brought it back within one when DeSousa flustered the E.P. defense and slotted it through in the 87th minute. But time ran out before Taunton could find the equalizer.

East Providence returns to action on May 13 when they host Clube Recordações at Riverside Recreation Park at 11am. Taunton hits the road for its next game against Lindo’s ST at Billy Gonsalves Field in Fall River, Mass. on May 13 at 10am.