By ERIC BENEVIDES

Sports writer

SMITHFIELD --- Scoreless ties may appear to be boring to the casual observer, but in the eyes of Shea High coach Pierre Ridore and Smithfield High coach Steve Votolato, Tuesday afternoon's draw between their unbeaten Division II-North teams at the Sentinels' Boyle Athletic Complex was a good example of the way soccer should be played.
"It was a very, very good game," said Ridore. "Both teams played well, both teams played tough. It was a well-played game by both sides. You don't want to come out of a game with a tie, but both teams didn't deserve to lose."
"I thought it was a very well-played game by both teams," added Votolato. "We did exactly what we hoped for and they did what we expected. It was a very good game. We're looking forward to the rematch, and hopefully, we'll see them again in the playoffs." 
Both teams will have to wait almost a month for their rematch. It will take place on Monday, Oct. 20, at 4 p.m. at Pawtucket's McKinnon-Alves Complex.

"Hopefully we can do a little better in that game than what we did today," said Ridore. "Smithfield has a great team that's big, tough, and physical. They were running the whole time and I thought they played really well. We were glad to be able to stay up with them and walk out of here with a tie."
The Sentinels came into the game with a 7-0 record that saw them score 20 goals, allow just three, and post shutouts in their first five games.
The Raiders, who won their first six games of the season, were coming off their first tie of the season last Friday afternoon, a 2-2 tie with Mount Pleasant High. They also entered this clash with a total of 20 goals and only surrendered six goals.
Both teams had a handful of good scoring opportunities, played exceptional defense, and kept their mistakes to a bare minimum. They also received some excellent stops by their netminders, Shea senior co-captain Levidson Andrade (10 saves) and Smithfield freshman Aaron Skalubinski (seven saves).
Senior striker Devin Richard, the Sentinels' leader in goals scored with seven, had his team's best chances to break on the board, but he was denied by Andrade and the Raiders' tough defense.
And while the Raiders received solid defensive efforts from the likes of Joao Mendes, Arnaldo Dju, Luis Lozada, and Ruud Antune, the Sentinels were sparked by the defensive performances of Dan Kennedy, Sam Partington, Roger Cazeault, and Evan Supinski.

The Raiders' best chance to score came 6 1/2 minutes into the second half on a 20-yard direct kick in the middle of the field by midfielder Silvino Lopes that just sailed over the crossbar.
The Sentinels had a few more quality opportunities in the game, especially in the waning minutes. They tried to capitalize on a pair of corner kicks and two strong throw-ins near the Raiders' net by Joe Dias, but they were unable to find the back of the net.   
"I like playing good teams like Smithfield," said Ridore. "I hate to play teams that we beat 5-0. That's not fun. I love to play games like this. Eighty minutes strong, there's a little emotion, players are talking to each other. Those are the good games."  
***
Shea   0 - 0 -- 0
Smithfield 0 - 0 -- 0
First half: No scoring.
Second half: No scoring.
Shots on goal: Shea 7, Smithfield 10. Goalie saves: SH -- Levidson Andrade (10 saves); SM -- Aaron Skalubinski (7 saves).