Martyrs-Pontificio Collegio San Paolo Recap
On a day that saw Rome emerge from the chill and rain of winter, the North American College Martyrs began warming up, defeating Pontificio Collegio San Paolo 2-0. Under the clear blue skies of the Eternal City, the Martyrs offered a preview of its capabilities, controlling the action from start to finish. While beautiful glimpses abounded, a full picture was hidden until the Martyrs broke a scoreless tie midway through the second half.
One week after facing formidable striker (and former teammate) John Kalevski, the Martyrs drew an even more potent opponent in San Paolo forward Edouard Sinayobye. The Rwandan priest led the league in goals last year and paced his squad to an easy 4-0 victory to open this season, scoring twice in the contest. It became quickly apparent, though, that San Paolo had not played a defense like the Martyrs’. Physical and fast, the back-line led by David Santos ’12 (Newark) held strong, rendering Sinayobye ineffective, if not invisible. The quality of the defense left goalie Daniel Gallagher ’13 (Pittsburgh) – the star of the Martyrs’ opener – with little more than the most basic of house-keeping. Aside from a few early challenges that were snuffed out by Santos or right-backer Deacon Fernando Saenz ’10 (Santa Fe), the defense produced the cleanest of sheets.
As the defense was eliminating even the thoughts of attacks, the offense possessed the ball with a measure of skill. Competing without forward Deacon Daniel O’Mullane ’10 (Patterson), such an offensive display was not easily predictable. Credit roomier Field A of the Oratorio di San Pietro and the midfield additions of Chris Seiler ’13 (St. Louis) and John Gibson ’13 (Milwaukee). Seiler and Gibson – the duo that combined for the Martyrs’ loan goal last week – steadied the action, skillfully possessing the ball and surgically sending passes forward.
For all their chances, however, the Martyrs again found itself in a scoreless tie at halftime. Rather than wilting under the pressure or freezing with frustration, the team remained on course, continuing to produce opportunities for scores while yielding none. Finally, with thirteen minutes remaining, Gibson reproduced his week-one heroics. Not waiting for another methodical attack, Gibson struck from outside the goalie box, bending a ball below the keeper to give the Martyrs its long-sought lead. The team’s festive supporters – which counted a costumed Superman and Spiderman new to its ranks – joyfully offered a chorus of cheers.
Remembering the mishap that occurred with a 1-0 lead the previous week, neither the team nor the fans accepted the result as a foregone conclusion. Rather than taking a defensive stance, the Martyrs maintained pressure on San Paolo’s beleaguered defense. Its aggressive stance paid off when forward Deacon James Morrison ’10 (Mobile) capitalized on a loose ball in the box, giving his team a comfortable 2-0 margin of victory.
With the win, the Martyrs move into second place in the early stages of play in Group A. It hopes to improve upon its positioning against the Instituto Polacco on Saturday, 6 March at 10:30.
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