Published: September 27, 2007

The Fordham College at Lincoln Center intramural soccer team suffered their second defeat of the season at Bryant High School in Astoria, Queens, 6-0 to Fresh Meadows FC.

Despite perfect weather conditions, a mild temperature, and little wind, the FCLC offense was not able to create scoring opportunities, and the defense showed it had holes. A small crowd who came to the game cheered on their teams and favorite players on the field.

With two of the team’s co-captains missing from action, Katie Brown, FCLC ’10, and Peter Muller, FCLC ’10, the game proved to be a chance for the younger players on the team to step up their play.

From the start of the game, it was clear the defense was suffering from a lack of focus and organization. The backbone of the team’s defense was broken early as Fresh Meadows scored two goals in the game’s first 10 minutes. The defenders were moving in all directions, scrambling to find their assigned player on the field.

Fresh Meadows’ midfielders had a lot of time to pass the ball between FCLC defenders to their striker, who was able to quickly reach receiving passes and score. The Fresh Meadows players were wide open the majority of their time on the field. Goalie James “The Greek” Galintis, FCLC ’08, was at the mercy of the other team.  He had to defend his goal nearly alone.

The defense’s failure to clear the ball from the penalty area resulted in Fresh Meadows’ third goal in the first half. Later, on a controversial non-handball call, which Galintis almost blew a gasket over, the Fresh Meadows’ striker shot the ball off of the left post for the team’s fourth goal.

FCLC’s offense also proved virtually non-existent, causing co-captain Harry Bradford, FCLC ’10, to shout from the sidelines, “There is too much hesitation and a lot of whimsy passes.” Very few shots challenged the Fresh Meadows goalie.

At the half, the FCLC team became so fed up by its lackluster play that it devised a new strategy.  Galintis decided to address the team on how it should improve its play to compete at a higher level.

“We are too spread out on offense; one man here, one man there and one in the middle,” Galintis said.  “If you tighten up on defense, the through ball will not be able to work. If you deflect, it will go to someone else.” At the end of the speech, he also shouted, “If we’re going to lose, let’s at least play with dignity!”

Seemingly urged by Galintis’ words, the team played much better and with more intensity in the second half.  Gus Kapatos, FCLC ’08, replaced Galintis in goal, allowing Galintis to play in the field.  While, early on, the team’s play looked similar to that of the first half, FCLC’s defense made progress, by allowing only two goals in the second half instead of the four allowed in the first.  The offense also had more shots on goal, though it remained incapable of scoring when given opportunities.

The player who had the most impact for FCLC was Ricardo Bustos, FCLC ’08.  Bustos made solid tackles and did not allow the opposition to get too comfortable on the field.  He even sacrificed his body in the name of the team, letting himself fly through the air as he attempted to win control of the ball.

Honorable mention also goes to Jared Nelson, FCLC ’10, who was able to maintain consistent defensive intensity and communicate well on the field with his teammates.

After the game, FCLC discussed how it could improve upon the clumsiness of its play. The team will now hold practice once or twice a week at Central Park to build the chemistry necessary to create a winning team.

With the loss, FCLC dropped to 0-2 in their league and are still looking for their first win, points, and goal of the season.