Pasco: Finally, Mustangs get a win

Finally, Mustangs get a win

Mitchell picks up the first victory in program history Wednesday with a 2-1 win over Gulf.

By JAMAL THALJI

TRINITY -- The Mustangs had gone 27 games without a win. That streak is no more.

Mitchell earned the first victory in the program's two-year history Wednesday, defeating Gulf 2-1 in a Sunshine Athletic Conference contest at Mustang Stadium.

The Mustangs went 0-23-1 last season, and started this season 0-2-1, tying Ridgewood and losing to Wesley Chapel and Central.

Wednesday evening, Mitchell was down 1-0 to Gulf, one of the county's better teams, when first-year coach Rio Pizzo said his team finally underwent that attitude change he has been waiting the whole season for.

"It must be tough for these guys," he said. "They lost so many games last year by double-digits. That was the hardest thing, getting them to believe in themselves. I kept telling them, they are good. They just need to believe in each other and believe in themselves."

Gulf forward Alex Maric scored early in the first half, latching onto a loose ball in the box that Mitchell failed to clear out. There the score remained at halftime.

A different Mustangs team took the field in the second half. Sophomore forward Glenn Josephik knocked down a cross and took a shot, tying the game 1-1.

Mitchell kept up the pressure, and sophomore midfielder Jarrod Madonna scored on a pass from sophomore forward Ryan Dodd as the Mustangs took a 2-1 lead. Goaltender Billy Chapman made 13 saves in net to preserve the win.

Gulf fell to 2-2-1 while Mitchell improved to 1-2-1.

"It was our first-ever win, and it was against one of the toughest teams (in the area)," said Pizzo, a former standout at River Ridge in his first coaching job. "It was just an exciting atmosphere. It was a fun game to watch and be a part of. I think the first win is always the toughest, since they didn't get a win all last year.

"Now, hopefully they'll believe in themselves and get on a roll. I was just so proud of them."