26th September 2009
Hopkins Gets a Resounding Win Over Pitt, 2-1
de Laiglesia earns his Andre
By Jack MorganAs the Johns Hopkins club soccer boys walked into the stadium on Saturday, every fan in the sold-out stadium rose to their feet and cheered loudly in immense anticipation for what proved to be a tough battle against the Pittsburgh University club. The miserable conditions in Buffalo and the weariness of a 5:15 am start and 7 hour drive were daunting obstacles to overcome, but the boys, unflappable and attractive as always, pressed onwards. Although somewhat lacking in the equipment department, this did not deter our heroes, and the Blue Jays started the game off well, pushing hard to score early against the strong Pitt side, and looking to gain some momentum.
But it would not come so easy for the boys in black. Hopkins threatened to score early, firing shot after shot on goal early on only to be thwarted by the Pitt goalkeeper. Macgriff, Ruppel, and de Laiglesia, to name a few, challenged the keeper early, and the outcome looked promising. The back line did well, limiting chances and keeping the box clear. Minus one offside scare due to lack of linesman, the Jays dealt with everything Pitt threw at them in the first half. The goalkeeper for the Jays, the agile and dashingly handsome freshman Jack Morgan dealt well with the little first half action, looking ever so suave in doing so.
A rousing and inspiring halftime speech from the captains sent the boys out for the second half in a frenzy, determined to put the Panthers away once and for all. It did not take long to get on the scoreboard. After some excellent play through the back and midfield, Chris Tait received a ball on the outside only to send a blistering cross through the center, and captain Chris de Laiglesia blasted the ball into the opposite corner, leaving the keeper with no chance. As de Laiglesia danced down the sideline, Bobby Dye was quoted as saying “This is soccer.”
However, the Panthers were not yet vanquished. After some astounding defensive work by the Jays’ powerful back line, a cleared corner was sent to a Pitt player on the top of the box, who proceeded to fire a rocket past the hands of Morgan into the top shelf of the net. But this would not faze our boys. The Jays began to pick up play, with central midfielders Tate, Ruppel, and the rotation of outsides Mieles, Roscoe, and Khan dominating play, controlling the ball and keeping possession. While Pitt had more chances on net, the defense held strong, with Morgan occasionally making a key save. Seo, Johnson, Hamilton, Mandel and Henry were unflappable, and for eighty minutes caused frustration after frustration for the Pitt attack. The Jays’ offense pushed hard, hoping to break through the Pitt defense and put the game away – and break through they did. De Laiglesia was played a ball from the midfield, and proceeded to race down the sideline, veer inwards, and tuck a hard shot under the goalkeeper’s outstretched arm. The stadium erupted, blue and black confetti rained down from the sky, and one could hear the bleachers creaking from the strain of thousands of fans singing and dancing. The next 15 minutes or so turned into a duel between the indefatigable Pitt offense and the stout Hopkins defense. In the end, the defense won, and the Blue Jays walked off the pitch with pride in their hearts. But the euphoria quickly dimmed as the Jays focused on their next opponent: the host team Buffalo Bulls.
