The Barrington High School boys' soccer team's attempt to ram the Rams off the track in their quest for a fourth straight state title fell short Sunday afternoon in Portsmouth when LaSalle topped the Eagles, 2-0.

Nationally fourth-ranked LaSalle scored a goal in each frigid half in beating the Eagles for the third time this season. The Rams, stocked with an overabundance of talented players, raised their record against state competition to 21-0.

"They've got a bunch of all-stars on their team," said Barrington coach Joe Avila. "But there's nothing wrong with my guys. I'm very proud of my kids. They can compete with any public school and be equal. But you can't compete against 24 all-stars. It's kind of difficult."

Mario Pereira, coach of LaSalle, thought his team did not play up to its capabilities. He gave some of that credit to Avila's Eagles.

Eric Gladnet takes a dive, trying to draw a foul in the semifinal game.

"They played a brand of soccer today that gave themselves a chance to win," Pereira said. "They used a great brand of defensive tactics in the game. It caused us some problems getting in. We didn't get a lot of good looks, even with the wind."

LaSalle won the coin flip prior to the match and, with the wind whistling from the northwest, elected to defend the goal at the west end of the field. Barrington worked its offense into the wind the first 40 minutes but never threatened to score.

Nine minutes into the match LaSalle's Andres Ruiz scorched a shot from 15 yards past Barrington keeper Jon Brennan who had no chance to stop the bullet.

"The early goal kind of hurt us a little bit," Avila said. "We fought to get back. We didn't get the luck."

Brennan deflected another Ruiz shot off the post a few minutes later and LaSalle's Michael Pereira clanged a shot off the crossbar.

The Eagles tried to meet every LaSalle charge and for the most part, they did. The ball seemingly was played in the air more so than on the ground as Barrington defenders filled the passing zones and deflected numerous LaSalle offensive bursts.

"(Avila) put pressure on the ball right away," Pereira said. "We didn't really have a lot of time to look around and see where the open person was. We never really got off."

LaSalle's Greg Cirillo almost notched the Rams' second goal with 11:30 left in the half when he redirected a corner kick off of Barrington defender Tim Williamson. The ball struck Williamson and then the post as the game remained 1-0 and the frustration built for the Rams.

"We didn't play our style. I thought our players played a little nervous, a little anxious," Pereira said. "I don't know if it was the cold, the fact they're ranked so high or the fact they have everything to lose."

The whistle blew ending the first 40 minutes and the Eagles had to have felt good about trailing just 1-0. High-scoring LaSalle All-American Nick Colaluca, who is heading to a Division One school in the Atlantic Coast Conference, was kept off the scoreboard.

"They held an All-American without any damage. They just have a lot of weapons," Avila said.

Avila's assessment proved on target in the second half as the Rams, despite working into the wind, kept control of the ball and pressed the attack. Ruiz headed a ball off the underside of the crossbar five minutes in. Brennan turned around and grabbed the ball before anyone else could reach it.

Ruiz and Steven Alves broke in from the wings on separate occasions and fired shots wide of the goal. Ruiz broke free on another chance and drilled a shot over the goal. A few minutes later Brennan was down on his knees in front of the net during a scramble before the ball trickled out of bounds just outside the right post.

The Eagles managed their best sustained pressure about midway through the half. Barrington pushed the ball to the corners and fed it back to the middle. But LaSalle defended well, particularly against Eric Gladney. Barrington's top offensive threat suffocated under double-, and sometimes triple-teaming. The best the Eagles could do was Jared Berry's soft header right at LaSalle keeper Joe Colaluca.

The Rams embarked on a counterattack that led the their insurance goal. Ruiz again ran free down the right wing and was fouled just outside the penalty box. Justin Mello lofted a free kick across the goal area.

Teammate Derek Arsenault rose above everyone and headed the ball down. The ball struck the turf to the right of Brennan and rolled across the goal line inside the right post with 10:08 left.

"You could see toward the end of the game they knew they were running out of time," Pereira said. "They had to step up and play offense and it gave us some opportunities. We could have scored a couple of other goals and they could have gotten one too."

The Rams, as they've done all year, were the ones who capitalized on an opportunity.

"The late goal took the air off the tires a little bit," Avila said. "We played tough. We gave it our best shot. I'm very pleased with their work. They did an outstanding job."

Barrington finished the season with an 11-7-3 overall record. Chris Malcolm, Matt Watson, Steve Humm, Tim Lally, Matt Sullivan, Matt Bengochea, Brennan, Gladney and Williamson donned their Barrington High School soccer jerseys for the last time.

"We lose nine kids, eight of them starters," Avila said. "But we have a bunch of other kids coming along who will fill in the shoes."

By Steve Rogers

srogers@eastbaynewspapers.com