Baldwin aims for consistency

The Baldwin boys’ soccer team is riding a roller coaster.

The Bruins fell to South Side and Westbury to open the season. Following a 1-1 tie with Plainview JFK, they racked up back-to-back shutout wins against Port Washington (1-0) and East Meadow (3-0). Then came another two losses to Massapequa and Hempstead before consecutive wins against Freeport (6-1) and Westbury (3-1.)  

“We were probably the least prepared to start the season than I ever was in my 20 years coaching,” said Mike Palumbo, who cited injuries and some unpreparedness for the early-season woes. 

The team started to settle in during an evenly matched game against Port Washington, and with some defensive adjustments and outstanding play from junior goalkeeper Malcolm Bell, the Bruins were 2-2-1 following their shutouts.

Junior center midfielder Paul Guiracocha broke a scoreless tie with Port Washington after he drove the ball into the box, was tripped and planted a penalty kick in the net to seal the victory. 

Against East Meadow, Guiracocha assisted on goals by senior Leo Vanegas and sophomore Sean Quane. Later, junior Juan Gordillo netted a header with an assist from junior John Gamble.

Bell had six saves against Port Washington and East Meadow. “He has a great defense in front of him that is doing a nice job of protecting him,” Palumbo said. 

Baldwin turned up its offense in its recent wins. The coaches instructed Gamble to come out from defense to defense to attack with the ball, make runs and create opportunities. 

It worked. Gamble made an early run and scored the first of the team’s six goals at Freeport. Guiracocha followed with a successful penalty kick, and during the second half the Bruins offense opened up.

After Bell had suffered a sprained wrist against Hempstead, Palumbo put in freshman goalie Michael Paray, who fared well against Freeport and the rematch with Westbury. 

At Westbury, Guiracocha got an assist from Venegas to tie the game 1-1. Rannet Rojas scored five minutes into the second half on a pass from fellow senior Chandley Elie in Baldwin’s 3-1 win.

Three of Baldwin’s four losses were by one goal. The team’s best and worst games came in losses to Massapequa and Hempstead, according to Palumbo.

“It was a great loss and I know it’s crazy to say that, but we played exceptionally well,” Palumbo said of his squad’s near upset of Massapequa. “We had about a five-minute collapse that led to the game’s only goal. We had our opportunities; we just didn’t score.”

The coach called the loss to winless Hempstead “atrocious,” a game his players were lost mentally. “We beat ourselves,” he said.  

Baldwin will close the regular season with home games against Uniondale and Plainview followed by road matches against Syosset and East Meadow. The Bruins entered the week at 4-4-1 overall and 3-3-1 in Conference AA-III. 

“As long as we take care of what we know we can, we should advance on to the playoffs,” the coach said.