by Joe DiBlasi
jdiblasi@digitalsports.com
McDonogh and Gilman battled
for 56 scoreless minutes on Thursday in Owings Mills before senior Alex Grassi scored on a cross from Julian Griggs with 23:41 to go in the game, and coach Steve
Nichols squad made the tally hold up, as they beat the Greyhounds in a thriller, 1-0.
It was only second loss of the season for the Greyhounds,
and both have come at the hands of the Eagles, who beat Coach Jon Seal’s club
3-2 in overtime on opening day. The defending MIAA A conference champion Eagles
ran their unbeaten record in the conference to 9-0.
“I saw the ball coming my way, so I dropped back a little to
get it,” said Grassi. “We're playing extra
hard for Jake (Weiner), and I’m very happy with the result.
McDonogh mid-fielder Jake Weiner was injured in a game
against Perry Hall a few weeks ago, and after a stay at Johns Hopkins Hospital,
Jake has returned to the sidelines to watch the Eagles play.
Griggs, who leads the Eagles with 16 goals this season, was
kept from scoring by the Gilman defense, but he set up the winning goal on a
perfect pass to Grassi. “Gilman is very
athletic, and it was a very close all the way” said the sophomore
sensation. “It’s great to see Jake
healthy and smiling again.”
“It’s always tough playing here, and McDonogh does an
outstanding job,” said Coach Seal. “Christian
kept us in the game, and he will take us deep into the playoffs.” Seal was referring to Gilman keeper Christian
Hall who was spectacular in the net, turning back the Eagle attack time after
time. Hall had 10 saves on the day. His
counterpart, senior Patrick Spearman had four for McDonogh.
McDonogh was playing without Weiner and Joe Meyer, who was
out with a strained hip-flexor. Eagle Coach Steve Nichols had high praise for both
freshman Matt Shinsky, who has stepped in for Weiner and Jared Helms who played
in place of Meyer. Both Seal and Nichols
referred to Meyer as one of the best
soccer players in the nation.
“This team has depth,” said Nichols. “We played well today without Jake and Joe.”
Gilman played without senior Cooper Brown. Brown has a slight fracture in his left leg,
and he may be out for the season. “I hope to be back for the playoffs,” said
the speedy forward.
“It’s a special day whenever we play a great rival like Gilman,”
said Nichols. “Jon (Seal) has them playing at a very high level. “
It was a fast paced and physical game on both ends of the
field for 80 minutes. “Both teams played
very aggressively,” said McDonogh’s Joe
Vidmar. “Gilman always brings it.”
Gilman will play at Mount Saint Joe on Saturday, and the
Eagles will travel to Blakefield to play the always dangerous Dons next
Tuesday. The Dons beat the Gaels on Thursday 1-0 on a goal by Jimmy Deasel.
SCORING
Gilman 0
0 0
McDonogh 0 1
1
Goals:
M-Grassi
Assists:
M-Griggs
Saves:
G-Hall 10
M-Spearman 4