ROUNDUP

St. John's rebounds

By Jack McCluskey, Globe Correspondent | October 21, 2007

After its 37-game unbeaten streak was snapped Monday by St. John's of Shrewsbury, the St. John's Prep boys' soccer team would have been ready to play no matter who it faced next. That the first chance to start a winning streak came against its biggest rival provided added incentive.

Prep rebounded from Monday's defeat with a 5-1 win yesterday against visiting BC High, which tied the Prep in Dorchester earlier this season.

"We were looking to bounce back in a big way," said Prep coach David Crowell. "It was definitely one of the better games we've played this year. The winner was probably going to win the conference, so we were definitely ready to go."

St. John's (7-1-6, 4-0-3 Catholic Conference) can wrap up the conference title with a win or a tie against Catholic Memorial Wednesday.

Crowell credited Prep's offense for keeping possession.

"They had to chase a lot in midfield, and that wears kids down," said Crowell.

To buttress the offense, Crowell moved Brett McLarney to sweeper and Sean Bishop to midfield, and the senior co-captains' strong play helped the Eagles spread the ball around.

The movement resulted in goals by four players.

Senior Dan Campbell had a pair of goals and an assist, and Owen Fox, Dan O'Connor, and Kelley Johnson chipped in a goal apiece.

"We really moved the ball around well," said Crowell. "There was a lot of 1-2 passing and, because of that, we were able to get everyone involved."

The loss to St. John's of Shrewsbury didn't sit well with the defending Division 1 champions, who hadn't lost since the 2005 state tournament.

"It was just one of those games," said Crowell. "It wasn't that we played poorly. They're a good team. Their only loss all season was to us, and they just took advantage of the opportunities they got."

Nonconference: Jordan Branco's 11th goal of the season started No. 17 Brockton's 2-1 comeback win over Taunton.