A tough loss can linger. North Cumberland gave itself a better result to carry forward Wednesday: a 4–0 win over North Smithfield in a game that felt like playoff soccer.
Nick Cortez scored twice, while Jake Hosney and Ilirian Xhuli each added a goal as the North Stars bounced back October 7. Four goals at one end. A shutout at the other. That is a strong answer from a team coming off a frustrating finish.
Two nights earlier, North Cumberland fell 2–1 on its eighth graders’ night despite Logan Pistorio’s end-to-end goal. Wednesday brought the response the team needed, with the kind of urgency that matters as the season moves toward the playoffs.
The North Stars have already shown what they can do when things are rolling, including a stretch of five straight shutouts and a 9–0 win over Scituate. This time, they had to respond to a setback.
Cortez, Hosney and Xhuli supplied the goals. Keeping North Smithfield off the scoreboard completed a result the whole team could take pride in. One loss did not have to become two.