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Boys Soccer Coaches Widmarc "Tigana" Dalce of Allentown High School - BUT IT?S A WIN: Dalce unhappy with the Redbirds? effort

TRENTON -- First-year boys soccer coaches Widmarc "Tigana" Dalce of Allentown High and Mike Pandolfini of Trenton High share the philosophy that success begins with discipline.

It?s an understanding between coach and player which was passed down to Dalce and Pandolfini from their former coaches -- names like Mercer County Community College?s Charlie Inverso and Steinert High?s Rich Giallella.

Once a coach instills that credo in his or her charges, the players quickly learn they are capable of playing even better than they might have expected.

That having been said, it might be easier to understand why neither Dalce nor Pandolfini came away totally content yesterday despite the fact that Allentown pulled away in the second half for a 6-2 win.

"Sometimes you have a bad day," Dalce began. "Sure, we scored six goals, but I?m looking for pretty futbol. A win is a win, but I know how I coach this team and this was not my team."

The problem began in the first half when goals by Dan Quintana and Piero Mancini gave the Redbirds a 2-0 lead. Yet, that lead, which Dalce called, "the most dangerous lead in soccer," proved to be just that when his team relaxed.

"Ten minutes later, it was equalized," Dalce said.

The Tornadoes (4-6) came roaring back on unassisted tallies by Dane Johns and Darwin Vicente to tie the score.

Even though a 20-yard blast by tri-captain Chris Katzman gave Allentown (7-3-1) the lead back before intermission, it did not make Dalce any happier.

"The ball came to me, and I brought it down with my right foot," Katzman said of his game-winner. "I tried to get it on goal with my left foot, and the shot kept dipping until it went in the net."

"At halftime, I told my team, ?Either we?re going to come out pumped up in the second half and win this game, 4-3, or they?re going to come out upset and win the game, 7-2,?" Pandolfini said.

The new Trenton coach was close to the mark as his players struggled to make connections in the second half.

"When we tied the game, we were a little relieved," said Vicente, a native of Guatemala. "It was something that made us want to win. I don?t know what happened in the second half."

"After we tied the game, we crumbled," said the Tornadoes? senior stopper Mario Roman, a native of Costa Rica.

Even though Austin Neuberger scored twice in the second half by crashing the net from on far-side runs and Mancini added his second goal of the game, it did not remove Dalce?s frustration with the "ugly soccer" he witnessed.

"He has been the coach of my travel team, the West Windsor Mutiny, for three years now, and he made us into a finalist in the State Cup," Katzman said of Dalce. "He has so much experience from Mercer and from the Haitian National Team. He?s treating us like professionals to prepare us for college and beyond."

Katzman also had praise for Pandolfini and the job he is doing with the inexperienced Tornadoes.

"He?s improved their team so much," the Redbirds? senior midfielder said.

"I guess we were taking them too lightly when they came back."

Pandolfini returned the praise to Dalce and his players.

"They play as a team," Pandolfini said. "One thing?s for sure -- he?s got them disciplined."

For Dalce and Pandolfini, that?s the first step toward success.