Kunia WFS

Story and photos by Randy Dela Cruz
Contributing Writer

The Kunia Gallos, last season’s defending champs, improved their current league-leading record to 14-2 after beating We Fix Ships (WFS), 3-0 in a Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) Intramural Soccer League game at Ward Field, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, on July 17.

While the game pitted the two finalists of last year’s championship showdown, the Gallos dominated the latest meeting between the clubs by taking advantage of their opponents’ limited lineup.

WFS, a squad made up of Sailors from Pearl Harbor

Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility, entered the game with only seven players and faced matchup problems throughout the contest. Games are played eight-on-eight, but league rules allow teams to start play with a minimum of seven players.

“I think when they (WFS) started, they were disappointed and it kind of came across in the game,” said Cryptologic Technician (Interpretive) 1st Class Steven Bloom of the Gallos. “It’s really unfortunate because they are usually a good team.”

Against the short-handed WFS, Kunia took immediate control of the game and raced out to a 1-0 lead, when Air Force Staff-Sgt. Alex Bloomfield shot a pass to a wide open Bloom, who completed the play on a kick to the back of the net.

The Gallos extended their advantage just before half-time, when Army Staff Sgt. Nathan Berry broke free near the left side of the box and blasted in a kick to the goal’s right corner. Following intermission, Berry found fellow striker Cryptologic Technician (Interpretive) 3rd Class Winston Jackson near the goal with a pass from the right sideline. Jackson fought off WFS goalkeeper Navy Diver 2nd Class Ben Mills and connected on a header to score Kunia’s third and final goal of the game.

Although Mills said the loss was hard to swallow, he felt the team played extremely well under tough circumstances. Competing with one fewer player limited the offensive options of WFS, Mills admitted, which forced the team to focus on its defense.

“It set us back quite a bit,” Mills acknowledged. “Since we were down one player, we moved one back, so we had four defenders in the back. We weren’t too worried about offense.”

Bloom stated that once Kunia got in front by two goals, he and his teammates decided to play it safe and not take too many chances. Bloomfield agreed and added that not only did the players focus on protecting the ball, but they also used the remainder of the game to get everyone involved.

“In the second half our top players were trying to share the ball more,” said Bloomfield. “They were trying to share the glory, I guess.”

While the loss set the WFS record down to 10-5, Mills said he is still optimistic the team will do well in the post-season, which is tentatively set for early August.

“I think we got a good team,” Mills said. “Come playoff time, if everybody shows up, we got a good chance.”

Meanwhile, Bloom said Kunia’s win over WFS should give the team a boost as it prepares to defend its title.

“There was really no pressure, so I think it was a relaxed performance,” Bloom declared after the game. “I think a game like this today, where everything is going well, helps out our morale without a doubt.”