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LUSA: Taunton Eagles Throttle E.P. Sports

The Taunton Eagles' attack went on a tear on Saturday, scoring a half-dozen goals against East Providence at Shores Street Field. (Photo: Brian O'Connell)

The Taunton Eagles’ attack went on a tear on Saturday, scoring a half-dozen goals against East Providence at Shores Street Field. (Photo: Brian O’Connell)

TAUNTON, Mass. – The Taunton Eagles scored five goals after the interval en route to an easy 6-0 victory over East Providence Sports on Saturday at Shores Street Field.

Kevin Lazaro scored in the 19th minute to give the hosts the lead going into halftime. From there, the Eagles put considerable distance on their guests thanks to goals from Almir Barbosa (57′, 67′), Josh Chao (63′), Eddy Lopes (85′) and Daniel Xavier (88′). Goalkeeper Sean Gonsalves made two saves to earn the clean sheet.

East Providence entered the game knowing they were on borrowed time, without the benefit of having a single substitute on the bench. To that end, they opened up looking for early paydirt, and tipped the field in their favor shortly after the whistle.

Kyle Lopes and Cory Lopes worked the attacking third, and opened up opportunities for Kyle Teixeira. Gonsalves was challenged on a shot by Kyle Lopes in the fifth minute, but it wasn’t long before the tide turned on East Providence.

Chao and his teammates started to storm the East Providence backline near the 10th minute, and Jimmi Underhill walled up a shot from Chao. Taunton came closer in the 12th minute when Edens Chery hit the near post, as the clouds began to darken over the guests.

In the 19th minute, the hosts broke through when Barbosa converted a corner kick, and the Shores Street Field faithful whistled and cheered its approval.

The applause continued into the second frame, when the Eagles counterattacked and put the ball in front of Barbosa, who rifled a shot under the dive of Underhill minutes before the hour mark.

After the hour, the Eagles poured it on, as East Providence, without any substitutes at their disposal, started to tire just as their adversaries started to replenish their personnel.

Another quick break yielded a 63rd minute goal from Chao nearly identical to Barbosa’s cannon shot minutes earlier, while Barbosa netted his second tally in the 67th minute when he chipped through a pass from Xavier in the 67th minute.

To their credit, East Providence refused to bunker in and stop the bleeding, and kept their attacking ambitions alive. Teixeira and Cory Lopes fired dangerous free kicks before the 80th minute, but Gonsalves collected both well in front of his line.

But the Eagles were far from finished, even with five minutes left. Eddy Lopes struck in the 85th minute, while Xavier, who helped spark the attack in the second half, claimed a well-deserved goal in the 88th minute when he grabbed a pass from Anthony Dos Santos and blasted one off the bottom of the bar before it crashed through.

The Eagles will look to continue their winning ways when they host Benfica Washington Park at Shores Street Field on Sat., May 25 at 7pm. East Providence will only have to wait three days to put the loss behind them, as a mid-week match against Casa do Benfica awaits on Wed., May 22 at Billy Gonsalves Field in Fall River, Mass. at 6pm.

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