Boys Soccer:Sickles Gryhpons Lose First Game

The Sickles Boys soccer team fell to Bloomingdale 4-0 this afternoon as the Gryphons made their first forray into the Wharton Invitational Soccer Tournament.

The loss comes on the heels of a very tough 1-0 win at Plant High School last night.

"A few of the guys are sick but they’re playing through it,” said Boris Simeunovic, graduated player and assistant coach of sorts.

The Gryphons also took the field today without start forward and leading scorer Gavin O’Malley, who is competing for a club team in Orlando today.

Early in today's game, Sickles seem to be in control, dominating the midfield and driving on the Bloomingdale defense. Juan Rodriguez and Thiago Silveira got early shots on goal but they were not too difficult to save by Bloomingdale keeper, Austin Spagnola. Greg Balsamello seemed wide open on the left side most of the early going. Most passes that went his way led to fast breaks.

Brain Wittel played a great ball from midfield in to Juan Rodriguez but it was just too long and they missed what was probably their best chance at scoring.

Tevin Gage for Bloomingdale spent the whole game lurking around Sickles goal. He crossed the midfield stripe once during the game but apparently the strategy worked on the weary Sickles squad. About a third through the first period, Bloomingdale turned the tables on Sickles. They were catching them forward and driving deep into their side. Gage was waiting by the goal on a turnover and had an easy time tapping in the first score of the game.

Gage has great ball handling skills but appears to be a one-dimensional player. It was a game of almosts for Sickles. Juan Rodriguez did a great job serving crosses into play. They just couldn’t get any to fall. Several headers drifted just over the crossbar. Carlos Rodriguez, who had a valiant game, helped on the back line, covered midfield and fired several shots on goal, in the first half.

Sickles looked fatigued going inot the second half when Greg Balsamello virtually disappeared. Carlos Rodriguez started to show fatigue as well but battled through it. He twisted his ankle early in the second period, fighting for possession. Oscar Pinto came in to replace him but Carlos would eventually get back in the game.

 Bloomingdale really started to push the action. Midway through the second period, they got several good shots on goal that either sailed wide or were saved by Alex Dichiara. Finally, it was too much. They caught Sickles on a fast break and Tevin Gage tapped one that hit the far post and rolled back in toward goal. Dichiara was too far out of position and was unable to stop the slow-rolling ball from crossing the line.

Less than two minutes later, Bloomingdale would catch Sickles forward and knock in another goal.

 With a 3-0 lead, Bloomingdale turned up the heat. Sickles played several balls into Bloomingdale territory, only for them to sail long, out of bounds or go straight to the Bloomingdale keeper, who was not seriously challenged all afternoon.

Bloomingdale flipped the field again on Sickles in the waning moments. Tevin Gage got Alex Dichiara on the ground after a kick and was able to tap in an easy goal, extending the lead to 4-0 and his own goal total to three.

 It was a rough start for The Gryphons and it will not get any easier. They must rest up and take the field again tonight at 6:15pm against Lennard High School. This is a do-or-die match for them. Dropping their first match and looking up at a –4 goal differential, means they must get wins in their next two group matches to retain any hope of advancing out of group play.