NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- With Shane Fuller sitting on 95 career points going into Monday's McCann Tech boys soccer
game, the 100-point milestone was not too high on the list of priorities.
Not with the Hornets going up against a team no one in the program could remember having beaten. Not with memories of last year's two ties against Commerce fresh in everyone's minds.
But after Fuller registered two goals and two assists in the first half, the 100th point was all anyone on the McCann sideline was thinking about.
Even though he did get there, the 5-0 win was still pretty sweet.
Fuller said he definitely had a sense
"We're missing our goalie, Chris Gajda, and our backup goalies stepped up," Fuller said. "I thought our defense played phenomomally.
"Without my teammates, I wouldn't even be close to [100 points]. They were really trying to help me out. I just couldn't put it in."
With a road game at Westfield on Thursday, McCann Tech coach Tom Bona was among those hoping Fuller would join the 100-point club at home. But Bona said the senior striker will get there and deserves to do so.
"He's just a hard worker," Bona said. "He works hard in practice. He works very hard in the game. And it's proof that hard work pays off. I never have to worry about him dogging it in drills.
"That's where he makes himself one of the leaders on the team. He leads by example. He's not so vocal, but sometimes you don't have to be. Just doing it and showing people how to do it and what they need to be doing is huge. He does a great job with that."
Fuller helped set up the game's first goal in the fourth minute with a direct kick from about 25 yards that ended with a a finish by Jon Leal inside the 6.
Fuller then scored on a direct kick from the top of the 18 to make it 2-0.
McCann went up three nothing when Damon Couture scored on a corner kick, and Fuller set up Leal on yet another set piece, a quick start direct kick, to make it 4-0.
Finally, with about six minutes left in the first half, Fuller stole the ball inside the 18 and scored to provide the final margin.
He had a few chances to be on the scoring or passing end of goals after the break. Perhaps his best opportunity came with about six minutes let when Leal sent Fuller on a through ball, but he was hauled down inside the 18. Commerce (0-6-1) avoided a whistle on that play but could not find a way to crack McCann's defense at the other end.
Nico Moreno and Evan Canales combined to stop eight shots and give McCann (4-2, 2-0 Tri-County North) its second straight shutout to open its league schedule.
It also got its first win in three tries on a Monday afternoon. Last Monday after a non-league loss to Mount Everett, Bona talked about the difficulty of playing after day off. This week, he brought the Hornets together for a Sunday workout.
And practice appeared to make perfect.
"You get back in the flow with that Sunday practice, and I thought we played a lot better this week," Fuller said.
