The Franklin County Technical School boys soccer team did something Monday night in the mist that no other area boys soccer team has done this season.
It qualified for the tournament.
Jovanni Ruggiano scored one goal and added an assist to help the Eagles punch their ticket to the WMass Division 3 Tournament with a 4-0 victory over Greenfield under the lights in Turners Falls.
The victory improved the Eagles to 9-1-0 on the season and with an 18-game schedule assured Franklin Tech will finish above .500 on the season.
“Probably a little bit of history, there,” Franklin Tech coach Kurt Richardson joked of his team being the first to qualify. “They’ve come together really nice this season as we’ve always hoped they would.”
Franklin Tech has not lost since dropping its season opener on Sept. 7, 6-3, to Westfield Voke Tech. The team has played well on both ends of the field this season, scoring three goals or more in eight of its 10 games, while pitching a shutout four times including Monday’s win.
“I’m very proud of the defensive unit we’ve had,” Richardson said. “And our scorers are being a little more selective with their shots, so we are putting more balls in the net, rather than just around the net.”
Franklin Tech took a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute on Monday thanks to an own goal as a crossed ball pinballed around in front of the Wave goal before going in off a Green Wave defender. The Eagles doubled their lead in the 23rd minute when Reuben Galvez hit a laser-beam from 25 yards out that was stopped by Greenfield goalie Alex Carballo, but Ruggiano was on the scene to clean up the garbage.
The Eagles made it 3-0 in the 62nd minute when Ruggiano crossed a ball to the far post that was finished off by Jared Vielmetti-Perusse. Ryan Campbell finished the scoring in the 74th minute when he headed home a cross from Galvez.
“The goal scoring is spreading out a little more this year,” Richardson said. “Last year, it was Jovanni and Reuben scored 90 percent of our goals, but this year it’s spreading out.”
Grayson Funk stopped all three shots he faced to earn the shutout. Carballo made nine saves, including seven highlight-reel saves.
McCann Tech 13, FC Tech 12 — Nate Pelletier and Mike Patnode each swept four points on Monday but Franklin Tech lost a tiebreaker with McCann Tech, 13-12, in a Bi-County West match at Forest Park Country Club in Adams.
Pelletier shot a 41 at No. 2 and was the team medalist for the Eagles, while Patnode shot a 46 at No. 3 to sweep. Jacob Shaw shot a 49 at No. 6 and took 2½ points.