Opponents have underestimated Tiverton sophomore Keith Gillette. And they paid the price.
TIVERTON — Don’t underestimate Keith Gillette on the soccer field. Otherwise, the 5-foot-3, 110-pound Tiverton High School sophomore striker will make you pay.
“You wouldn’t expect it, but I’ve been watching him since he was 10 or 12, and I’ve always known he’s been a crazy player, crazy skill,” Tiverton senior co-captain Connor Nobrega said. “His speed, his foot skills, his finishing. Every single aspect of soccer he understands, and he’s good at.”
The North Providence High School squad rued its ignorance last season after Gillette entered the game as a substitute and notched a hat trick in the Tigers' 3-1 victory.
“That was probably my best game I played for Tiverton,” Gillette said. “I had three goals, got a header, went top right and then my last goal was on an assist from Brady Oliveira, easy tap-in.”
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While Gillette’s teammates continue to reap the benefits of his skills, some opponents clearly haven’t caught on yet. Or they just continue to ignore him because of his stature.
“The biggest thing I think is that other teams just look at him as a tiny kid starting up front,” Tiverton veteran coach Tom Murray said. “They think they don’t have to worry about him. Then they’re surprised after the first 10 minutes.”
Gillette has a special set of skills
Gillette has been involved in the sport since he was 4 years old. He plays it year-round and has not played another sport, though he hinted he may try tennis in the spring. Murray learned about Guillette prior to his freshman season with the Tigers.
“I got a phone call last summer from his (Nor'easter) club coach telling me I would be happy to get him at the high school,” Murray said. “The first time I saw him play was at a captain’s practice.
“He’s so smooth with his feet. He can get into tight situations and then get out of it fast because of his speed. He keeps the ball close to his feet, so he can go through two people and he’s gone. The ball doesn’t get away from him.”
Such was the instance during Tiverton’s recent contest against Narragansett. The Mariners did a good job of keeping the ball away from Gillette, except on one occasion when he managed to maneuver through a crowd in the penalty area and get off a close-range shot the goalie stopped with a diving save at the right post.
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“I just get the ball and try to tap it around,” Gillette said. “Easy touches. I have small feet as well, so every touch is like every step or every two touches one step. It’s more like instinct.
“If a guy’s on the left, I fake left, go right. Then if another guy comes on, you can fake again and go to the other side. If there’s a bunch of them around me, I have to figure it out. And then once you get around them, it’s just one-on-one with the keeper.”
Tiverton’s other attacking players not only benefit from Gillette’s goals, but just from his presence on the field. The teams that are aware of him make sure he is well marked.
“He walks on the field and every other player has to watch for him,” Nobrega said. “He gives us another threat. That’s great to have on a team because it opens up the field for everyone else. Seeing how he’s an unselfish player, he can pass the ball. He’s fine if he doesn’t get the ball in certain games.”
Improved strength sure to help
While Gillette is able to use his speed to his advantage, his size also can be a deterrent. Gillette goes against players his own age in club soccer matches. Not so in high school. During the Narragansett game, Gillette said he "got elbowed in the face, bodied down and sandwiched.”
“If you put Keith on a soccer field with players his age, he’s probably going to have a field day,” Murray said. “Now that he’s playing against 17- and 18-year-old kids, he’s got to be more physical.”
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Gillette cannot just rely on maturity to better his physical stature. If he has aspirations of playing soccer at the next level, he has to put in some extra work.
“I’ve talked to him about it. He’s got to get in the weight room,” Murray said. “He has the capability to go play Division I or Division II (college) soccer, but he needs to get in the weight room. It’s so much more physical in college.
“He knows it’s going to be the next step for him. Once somebody starts and sees a change in his body, it’s like an addiction to keep training. That should be his goal for the next couple of years.”
Gillette said, “I’d like to get a little more physical and bigger. I know I have to get in the weight room.”
This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: RI high school boys soccer: Keith Gillette a top player for Tiverton
