The562’s coverage of Long Beach Wilson Athletics is sponsored by Joel Bitonio, Class of 2009.
Three minutes into last Tuesday’s game, Wilson created a lasting impression on Long Beach Poly with Harrison McElwain’s first goal. McElwain would score a hat trick, solidifying the first Moore League win for the Bruins, 9-2.
“It’s the first time we’ve beaten Poly in a long time,” said Wilson coach Sal Cipolla. “They gave everything they had, and they were pumped up for the game.”
Wilson asserted their dominance by outshooting the Jackrabbits in the first quarter, 6-3, and winning the two draws played to keep possession of the ball for most of the time. However, Poly bounced back in the last minute when Nick Johnson scored Poly’s first goal.
Into the second quarter, Poly was able to match Wilson’s aggressiveness as neither team scored. In the last two minutes, Wilson pushed forward as McElwain not only assisted Opie Romero, but also made a goal of his own, going into halftime 3-1 in favor of the Bruins.
The third quarter continued as Poly struggled to equalize the game. With ten minutes left, Warren Wright put the Bruins at 4-1 and forced Poly to call a timeout. Canon Carillo would pull through as he scored another point for the Jackrabbits, cutting their lead at 2-4.
However, it wouldn’t be enough as Wilson ended the game with confidence. The Bruins took advantage of Poly’s man-down situations within the first two and five minutes of the game. Romero, Flynn Nulty, and McElwain each scored a goal of their own, and Dylan Danell ended the game with another point with forty seconds left.
“They fought hard all throughout the game,” commented Poly coach John Gabriel. “No one gave up and they played well.”
Wilson and Millikan played last Thursday, which resulted in a 5-10 loss for the Bruins.
