Blair steamrolls past Gaithersburg

OCT 7, BLAZER STADIUM-

The Blair boys' varsity team defeated the Gaithersburg Trojans today, with a commanding 3-1 win at home. Senior Pape Ndiaye stole the show, scoring three goals and single-handedly outscoring Gaithersburg's entire squad.

The Blazers controlled the ball for much of the game with help from a great performance by the defense, which terminated many potential Trojan attacks at the Blair goal before they were able to develop.

Senior defenseman Jacob Shrybman credits the backfield for adding to the win. "The defense was strong, so we were able to shut them down," Shrybman says. Shrybman completed a pretty "bicycle kick" to defend a threatening drive towards the goal, with no defense support behind him.

Senior fullback and co-captain Will Whitney also added defensively by clearing the ball from inside the 6-yard box after it bounced back-and-forth between Blair and Gaithersburg players, a sure opportunity for the Trojans.

The defense's stingy play might have been impressive, but it was Ndiaye's hat trick that gave Blair its seventh victory of the season. His first two goals came off of headers. Ndiaye's performance caps off an unbelievable start to the season, including seven goals in the past eight games. However, his modesty kept him from taking full credit for his three goals. "I was just able to finish," Ndiaye explains, "with lots of help from the midfield and defense."

Playing time has been an issue for many of the team's seniors. Co-captain Alex Berger sat on the bench for the entire game--again. Goalie Lino Martinez, who remains the only Blair goalie not to be scored on all season, also stayed seated. Senior Marcus Harold quit because of his lack of playing time a couple of weeks ago.

Blair's next game is Oct 9 at Sherwood at 5 p.m.