When Jesus Barea got to the U.S. in August, he was thinking about the difficult time he would have because, in his words, “my English wasn’t so good.”
In the month-plus that he has been here, his English has improved dramatically, and the display of his soccer ability has been, well, so good. The 17-year-old Putnam Science Academy senior has scored three goals in the Mustangs’ first three games, as the team has gotten off to a 2-1 start.
“I think I have played well to start but my teammates are good players, and they help me to be better,” said Barea, who is from the coastal city of Cadiz in southwestern Spain. “I’ve been playing since I was 3 years old, and I’m lucky that I was able to play on the best club team in Cadiz. That helped me to improve my skills and become a better player too.”
Barea is widely regarded by his PSA teammates as one of the top players on the squad. And while he is adamant that they make him a better player, they will say with equal vigor, that the opposite is true.
“He understands the game at a very high level, and he’s a playmaker,” Geni Kanyane said. “If Jesus plays out of position, we get less of the ball. He’s the guy who creates chances for us. He’s got good technical ability, keeping the ball at his feet. So if he’s at a central area, we’re all going to benefit.”
Added Jorge Mendo: “He’s really important for us. He’s our No. 10. He plays side-to-side, he wants to grab the ball and he’s really good at passing and creating for us. He’s really good for us to have on this team.”
Barea hopes to show well enough this season to play soccer in college, preferably at the Division I level, likely at a high Division I level. But he said the most important thing to him will be his studies and that he wants to be a physical therapist. The dream, though, and one that is certainly viable according to some of his coaches if things work out at the next level for him, is to play in the MLS.
“Ah yes, that is the dream,” he said. “There are very good teams and very good players in the MLS…why not want to play in there? I want to have a career here in the United States.”
Kanyane laughed when asked to describe Barea off the pitch, then said, “Very playful. Most of the time when I’m with him, he’s always joking around.”
But Kanyane, another of the team’s top players who has MLS aspirations as well, said it’s not all just fun and games.
“When we talk seriously, I think we get along well too,” he said. “We talk about our goals going forward. It’s nice to have teammates that have the same goals as you. Even though we’re from different places (Kanyane is South African), we’re all striving to get the same thing. There’s comfort in that for us.”
By Steve Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
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Woodstock public schools
Monday: Cheeseburgers, green beans, fruit. Tuesday: French toast sticks, breakfast sausages, hash browns, fruit. Wednesday: Popcorn chicken, mashed potatoes, carrots, fruit. Thursday: Chicken tacos, refried beans, fruit. Friday: Pizza, broccoli, fruit.
Putnam Elementary/Middle
Monday: Manager's choice. Tuesday: Chicken bacon ranch panini. Wednesday: Grilled cheese sandwiches, tomato soup, cheddar Goldfish crackers. Thursday (middle school is half day): Popcorn chicken potato bowls. Friday: Putnam Special Pizza, salad.
Putnam High
Monday: Manager's choice. Tuesday: Chinese takeout or bacon cheeseburgers. Wednesday: Rodeo BBQ rib sandwiches or Italian panini. Thursday: chicken potato bowls or turkey Cobb salad. Friday: Pizza or fish sandwiches.
Pomfret Community
Monday: Shepard pie, carrots, rainbow tray with fruit and veggies. Tuesday: Chicken fajitas, rainbow tray. Wednesday: Bacon cheddar burgers, rainbow tray. Thursday: Sloppy Joes, rainbow tray. Friday: French bread pizza, rainbow tray.
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The following charges were listed in the Putnam Police Department logs. The people charged are innocent until proven guilty in court. The Town Crier will publish dispositions of cases at the request of the accused. The dispositions must be accompanied by the proper documentation. The Putnam Police Department confidential Tip Line is 963-0000.
Sept. 7
Jesse Lamontagne, 44, Mashamoquet Road, Pomfret; disorderly conduct, second-degree harassment.
Sept. 9
Eric Kincaid, 31, Mechanics Street, Putnam; disorderly conduct, risk of injury to a minor.
William Peabody, 43, Chapman Street, Putnam; third-degree assault, third-degree assault, second-degree breach of peace.
Sept. 12
Michael Meadows, 50, North Street, Putnam; disorderly conduct, interfering with arrest, assault on a police officer.
Devon Ashton, 23, Lincoln Street, Webster; first-degree failure to appear, three counts of second-degree failure to appear.
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Things didn’t go well from the start Sept. 14 for the Woodstock Academy boys’ soccer team.
It was par for the course so far for the squad.
Colin Smith, in warm ups, planted his foot and went to the ground.
Fortunately the injury didn’t appear to be serious, but he was unable to play for the day.
It was the beginning to a not-so-great day against Valley Regional who walked away from the Bentley Athletic Complex with a 4-0 win over the Centaurs. The loss dropped the Centaurs to 0-2.
But it’s a start that coach Paul Rearden has become accustomed to.
“Last year, we didn’t win our first two games either,” he said. “Learning curve. This might sound totally ridiculous, considering it was a 4-0 final, but we gave away two goals and, conservatively, we had five good chances in the first half, not so many in the second, but we should have come out with something. Give them credit; on the couple of chances they had, they made them.”
The numbers seem to bear that out. The Warriors took 14 shots, the Centaurs 13.
“We have to be tighter on defense, as a team, not just the defensive line. Do you learn from it? I did take a lot. Our first-half performance, I couldn’t fault. Two little mistakes gave the goals away,” Rearden said.
Cameron Frazier scored the first goal for the Warriors just 5 minutes, 55 seconds into the match off an assist from Evan Benson.
Just 12 minutes before the end of the half, Keenan Pinder found the net from a feed from Jake Burdick.
Valley Regional finished it off in the second half on a pair of goals from Ryan Shasha.
The Centaurs have only scored one goal in the first two games, but Rearden feels it could be much better.
They have been playing without the leading returning scorer from last season, Eric Phongsa.
Had one or two of those missed chances gone in, it may have led to more.
“It could be better,” Rearden said. “We just have to show some determination, show some backbone to recover from two tough results. This is a good set of lads, have a great attitude, they will bounce back.”
The Centaurs tried to mount a comeback but fell short and lost to Fitch in Groton, 4-1, in their season opener Sept. 12.
The Falcons took the 3-0 lead before Woodstock Academy was able to break through.
Logan Talbot was dragged down 30 yards away from the net.
His ensuing free kick found the foot of Sean Rearden who delivered it to the head of Huck Gelhaus.
The junior headed it into the top corner of the net to cut the deficit to two goals with 15 minutes to play.
Paul Rearden thought his team had pulled within a goal moments later when a Greg Weber header hit the cross bar and came down to the foot of Gelhaus who directed it home. But the goal was disallowed as it was ruled out of play after it hit the crossbar.
The Falcons put the game away when Sebastian Duffy completed his hat trick to give the Falcons the three-goal lead again.
Zach Roethlein started in goal and made five saves for the Centaurs.
The Centaurs took only seven shots at the Falcons’ net.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
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