Holy Family's House: No Goals Allowed

-By Jeffrey Kruczynski, 10/05/2003

Beneath a cloudy sky with a cool breeze whipping through the air and showers on the horizon, Holy Family and Bloomfield took part in a classic doubleheader. This past Saturday afternoon, October 4, both the women and men's soccer teams faced off against one another.

The Lady Tigers were looking to win back-to-back games following the heartbreaking loss to Shippensburg last week. In the first period, Holy Family completely dominated Bloomfield in every facet of the game. The Lady Tigers grabbed an early 2-0 lead from goals by Amanda Gibbs and Michele Jones in a 1:21 span. Megan Alminde added another goal (19:11) as Holy Family finished the first period with a 3-0 lead. The Lady Tigers ferocious defense smothered Bloomfield's offense allowing few shots. Because of their outstanding defensive play, the ball remained in Bloomfield's zone for the majority of the first frame.

In the second period, Holy Family continued their dominance. With 39:11 remaining in regulation Theresa Cirino scored to make it a 4-0 game. Then, Michele Jones capped off the scoring with her second goal of the contest. Once again shots were few and far between for Bloomfield as they were unable to penetrate the force field put up by Holy Family. Surprisingly at points throughout the match, the sun broke through the thick clouds to shine on Holy Family's masterful performance. The Lady Tigers recorded their second consecutive shutout, in relatively easy fashion, as they defeated Bloomfield 5-0. Holy Family played a great game on offense and defense. With the victory, the Lady Tigers' record improved to 7-3-2 and 3-2-1 at home. Could the men's soccer team be successful in sweeping the doubleheader?

In the first period, the men's team limited the number of scoring chances against them by playing excellent defense. The Tigers pressured Bloomfield and came close to scoring but the ball clanged off the post. After a couple of minutes, Holy Family was the recipient of a penalty kick. The Tigers took full advantage of the opportunity and grabbed a 1-0 lead with 16:25 remaining. The visiting goalkeeper made the initial save but his teammates fell asleep and was unable to clear the rebound. Justin Irlich scored with 3:07 left in the first period to give Holy Family a 2-0 lead.

In the second half, the Tigers increased their lead with a barrage of goals. Holy Family scored a pair of goals during a ten-minute span to take a 4-0 lead in the contest. Then, with about twenty minutes remaining on the clock, raindrops began to fall from the sky. Fortunately, it was a light rain and the game was not interrupted. Holy Family added a fifth goal with 7:06 left in the game. As if five goals were not enough, the Tigers drilled the final nail into Bloomfield's coffin with a sixth goal as the final seconds ticked off the clock.

It was a successful day for Holy Family University. The men's soccer team was able to do the same thing their counterparts had accomplished earlier in the day. The two teams combined to outscore Bloomfield 11-0 and completely dominated each game, respectively. Here is a warning to future opponents: Nobody comes into our house and pushes us around. LET'S GO TIGERS!