Gaels falter

Men’s soccer narrowly beats RMC and loses to Trent

Winger Andrew Colosimo holds off a Royal Military College player during the Gaels' 1-0 win at Tindall field on Saturday.
Image by: Corey Lablans
Winger Andrew Colosimo holds off a Royal Military College player during the Gaels' 1-0 win at Tindall field on Saturday.

Men’s soccer fell victim to a classic case of underestimation over the weekend, narrowly defeating the Royal Military College Paladins 1-0 at home Friday before the 3-2-1 Trent Excalibur handed the Gaels their first loss of the season in Peterborough on Sunday.

The Gaels struggled to get the ball past the Paladins’ goalkeeper Jhordan Dorrington, who made 13 saves in Friday’s game.

It looked like the Gaels would concede an embarrassing tie against the Paladins — who haven’t won a game since 2007 — until rookie midfielder Henry Bloemen recorded his first career goal in the 87th minute.

Head coach Chris Gencarelli said his team overlooked their cross-town opponents.

“We were too complacent and too comfortable,” he said. “It’s one of those games where you just take the points, walk away and get ready for tomorrow.”

The Gaels delivered another lacklustre performance on Sunday, marking their first loss of the season and their first loss against Trent since 2007.

The team looked strong in the first half but couldn’t score. Trent striker Devon Coutu netted the game winner in the 67th minute to beat the Gaels 1-0.

“First and foremost, our attitude against the weak teams in the division needs to change,” captain Joe Zupo said. “We sometimes overlook that every game in this league is a tough one.”

Zupo said the game tape from the weekend will prove useful in preparing for coming games.

“We need to take a long look at what went wrong this weekend and analyze what we need to do to change,” said the second-year defender. “Everyone who’s on this team needs to put in the effort, both in practice and in games.”

Gencarelli said the Gaels’ erratic play on the weekend isn’t cause for concern.

“The guys know it needs to be better and it will be better,” he said. “Throughout the season, we’re going to have little bumps in the road.”

Gencarelli was quick to highlight areas for improvement.

“Work ethic. Plain and simple,” he said. “We need to be ready to compete and work hard and we need to finish the chances that we get in front of the goal.”

The Gaels host the University of Toronto Varsity Blues and the Ryerson Rams at Richardson Stadium next weekend.

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