The Cranston East boys soccer team is off to a nice start this fall, winning its first two non-league matchups then tying Smithfield 1-1 in the league opener last week on the road.

Returning senior standout Curtis Horace would find the back of the net in the first half to give East the 1-0 lead, but the Sentinels would come out hot in the second and return the favor early in the period.

The Bolts would regain their legs in the final 10 minutes of play and dominate the possession battle, but they would not be able to find the back of the net despite multiple shots on goal in the final two minutes. East would also have two shots ring off the cross bar as they struggled to push one through.

“I thought we played a great game overall, but we just came out in the second half flat as can be. We also had two shots off the crossbar, we were just a few inches away from winning that game,” said East coach Richard Grenier.

East was led by keeper Christian Gomez, who finished with 13 saves and actually picked up an assist on Horace’s goal as he made the deep pass which set up the score.

“After I grabbed the ball I saw that we had a short field so I just threw it far as I could to give someone a chance to make a play. I never would’ve thought that it would’ve played out that way,” said Gomez.

Gomez has big shoes to fill this season as he takes over in net for All-Division keeper David White, who graduated last spring. The results have been positive through three games and Grenier feels that East may have found something in the keeper.

“I think that Carlos has a chance to keep us in every game. I think he is going to be an all-division goalie by the end of the season. He’s made the transition from defender last year and has done a great job. He’s very fast very athletic, he attacks the ball,” said Grenier.

Although the Bolts would have liked to start the season off with a win, Gomez was felt that the team maintained its confidence in the tie and is looking forward to leading the way from the net.

“Goalie is my original position, so the transition has not been bad. I am confident and I have that vision and instincts already. We would rather have a tie than a loss, so we are still very confident,” said Gomez. “We are going to have a good year.”