By Jeanne Sager
JEFFERSONVILLE — September 20, 2002 – Emotions ran wild during Sullivan West’s first OCIAA Division III matchup versus Ellenville this year.
The SW boys’ soccer team lost Tuesday’s game, 2-0, on its home field.
After the visitors scored their first goal early in the first half, booted in by Jonathan Guerrero, the Bulldogs responded with heavy pressure on the Blue Devils’ defense.
Managing to keep the ball headed into Ellenville (2-2, 1-2 Division III) territory, the Bulldogs were able to hold off the Blue Devils until the halftime break.
But the home team lost steam quickly when the Ellenville boys came back from halftime to immediately score again on goalie Joe Meyer thanks to some agile ball handling by David Siegez.
And with less than 10 minutes to go in the second half, some on-field trash talking and the Bulldogs’ frustration with Ellenville goalie Kevin Burns’ fast hands came to a head.
The SW (1-5, 0-3 Division III) boys’ soccer team was already down by two goals when a fight broke out on the field – prompted by a Blue Devil player punching Bulldog Ed Raum in the head.
While players from both teams, coaches and even a few spectators charged the field, the referees managed to calm the rage, ejecting three players in the process – Ellenville’s Gaston Avendano and Jesus Ramirez and SW’s Raum.
The squads played the remainder of the game in tense silence, with 10 men on the Bulldog side trying to regain their momentum against the nine-man Ellenville team.
Burns posted 10 saves for the win, and Meyer had six saves for the Bulldogs.
SW Coach Howie Whitmore was disappointed in his team’s performance – both on and off the field during Tuesday’s contest.
“That’s the first fight I’ve ever had on a team I’ve coached,” he said. “And hopefully it will be the last.”
Whitmore’s team will have to play its next game with Raum on the bench, but he hopes their game will improve.
“I’m just disappointed with the way we played and the way we acted,” Whitmore noted.