A 1-1 start has been tempered by the injury bug, which has knocked out several key players on Bruins' team trying to account for the loss of 14 seniors. Goaltender Jake Kirschner, sweeper Zach Rodgers and center midfielder Charlie Romeo are all out for an extended period of time.
The immediate key to success will be defense, where all three of the team's captains reside, and the unit stepped up in a big way on September 16, as the Bruins turned back rival Freeport, 3-2. Outside backs Ricky Gutierrez and Isaac Wade, both members of last year's AA-III Conference champion team, anchor the defense. Keith Pellegrino slides back to sweeper after spending time at center midfield, and Peter Siegman is the stopper. Sophomore Chris Goberdan rounds out the defense. "Ricky [Gutierrez] and Isaac [Wade] lead by their actions," coach Mike Palumbo said of two of his co-captains.
The backliners will offer consistent protection for sophomore goaltender Jared El Gayeh, who moves into the top role after some seasoning at the junior-varsity level. Along with standing tall at 6-3, El Gayeh is also more vocal than you'd expect from a newcomer, a trait that can only help his transition to a new group of defenders. He made 10 saves in the win over the Red Devils.
Unlike the defense, midfield has an almost entirely new set of starters. Rudy Sol, one of Baldwin's grittier players, made his presence felt in a 6-4 non-league loss to Hicksville on September 12. He scored a goal off a corner kick, converting a rebound out of scramble in the penalty box and has five tallies in three games overall. Junior Stephan Beckford saw most of his previous varsity action at forward, but the team hopes to take advantage of his speed and ability to work in transition by lining him up at center midfield. "It's a very big change," Palumbo said of Beckford's position switch. "He's used to waiting for the ball [to be passed to him]. But once he gets it, no one can catch him. He'll get away from his finesse [style] and become more aggressive. That takes time to learn."
Sean Traverso and Zach Stegmann are both slated to see action at the two outside midfielder positions, and Bobby O'Mahoney is also vying for time. Stegmann will handle all corner kicks because of his excellent touch on the ball, while Traverso, a two-year player on junior varsity, is a fast, aggressive scorer who's not afraid to mix it up physically.
Beckford will still play a major role in the scoring department, though he'll now join the fray as a set-up man as well. Hard-working forward Mike Pupa has developed a knack for finding open spaces, and Gabrielle Osei-Sraha handles the ball like its on a yo-yo. Ilmer Gomez, Elias Hernandez and Gordon Delva are also in the mix for playing time at Baldwin's deepest position.
The Bruins return home for two games this week, taking on Valley Stream Central (September 21, 4:30 p.m.) and Hempstead (September 23, 4:15 p.m.). They then hit the road for a game with Calhoun (September 27, 4:30 p.m.).
"The returning guys let everyone else know how tough it is," Palumbo said of adjusting to the speed of the game at the varsity level. "They let the guys know that we are not the conference champs from last year [anymore] and teams will be looking for us."
