Robbins scores five goals in rout of Tigers

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The Johnston Panthers are already one of the favorites to take home the Division III girls’ soccer title, and their star sophomore is the catalyst of those championship odds.

Striker Bianca Robbins scored five times en route to a 9-1, blowout win over Tolman on Friday afternoon, a mode of victory that has become somewhat routine for the Panthers (6-0-0) in a new-look D-III. They and East Providence sit atop the standings with unblemished records.

Robbins leads all players in the state with 25 goals thus far on the campaign. She’s the best on the field during any D-III contest, and it showed again against the Tigers.

“She has speed, technique, very smooth control with the ball with both feet,” Johnston head coach Timothy Sprouls said about Robbins. “She’s an excellent player. Still, we want to play as a team. I think we accomplished a lot of that [Friday]. We want to pass the ball and possess the ball, and this is not a bad team. I was happy with the performance.”

She scored 23 seconds into the game after she cut the edge around her defender and danced around goalkeeper Nicole Carman to find an open net. The early score set the tone for what was supposed to be a battle between two sides separated by one game in the standings.

“That just relaxed everybody, including me,” Sprouls said, with a laugh, about the quick goal. “This team came in with a 3-1 record and I was concerned. They were in Division III-A with us last year, but it took pressure off.”

If there was any tension heading into the game, Johnston handled it with aplomb.

Gabriella Scarcella scored on a header in the eighth minute after the Panthers were awarded a corner kick. Robbins answered with another soon after, this one in similar fashion to her first. She took a through pass, beat her defender and deked Carman into coming out of her net. She potted her second goal, upping the lead to 3-0.

The two continued to put on a skills clinic in the 18th minute. Coming down the field on another charge, Robbins and Scarcella sent a flurry of passes back and forth that eluded every Tolman defender’s legs. Eventually, Scarcella scooped up the loose ball and fired it into twine.

“She’s the engine that runs the team,” Sprouls said about Scarcella. “Bianca is excellent, but Gabby is the one that provides the energy and the life and really runs the show. I call her ‘The field general.’ That’s how I set up the team, to be strong down the middle.”

Robbins again used her agility to cap her hat trick in the 25th minute. She worked a 1-on-1 after she darted downfield after the through ball, easily beating Carman to her left side. She would add a fourth before intermission, extending the advantage to 6-0.

Tolman would get one out of the break, but Johnston would go on to add three more. Scarcella registered two more and Robbins one as the Panthers coasted to maintain their perfect record.

It was more of the same for Johnston against Blackstone Valley Prep on Monday, as it got five more goals from Robbins on its way to a 13-0 win. Six other Panthers tallied a goal in that victory, including Samantha Hardman, Madison Plouffe, Shelee Lastor, Gabriella Sauro, Madeline Plante and Katrina Hohlmaier. Kaylee Lameiro added an assist.

Johnston has five games remaining on its schedule, but Oct. 18 should be circled on the calendar. Not only is that senior night, but the Panthers will have their toughest test of the year against East Providence in what could be a title game preview.

“It’s going to be a big game,” Sprouls said about the looming showdown with the Townies. “I think every game, I don’t let them take anything for granted. Even if we take a lead, we have to work on certain things, like possession. We’ll possess the ball for five or 10 minutes before I allow them to score again. We practice every day with the same philosophy of possessing and team-playing and not being selfish.”

Until then, the Panthers have road bouts with Central and Davies as well as a home tilt with Central Falls. The Central game was scheduled for Wednesday at 5 p.m., but results were unavailable at press time.

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