BY RICH PALZEWIC
CORRESPONDENT 

GREEN BAY – It was a rough night for the Bay Port boys’ soccer team on September 12.
Aside from a second-half Griffin Pecore goal, the Pirates couldn’t generate much in a 5-1 Fox River Classic Conference loss at Green Bay Notre Dame.
Bay Port fell behind just 1-0 at the break, only to see the Tritons score four more after intermission to put things out of reach.
With the loss, the Pirates dropped to 2-5-1 overall and 0-2-1 in the FRCC.
“We started off a little flat and Notre Dame came out excited and energized,” said Bay Port head coach Travis Herber. “Sometimes a controversial goal like they had early on can really have a psychological impact, but you have to be able to overcome that. We just didn’t come out the way we needed to right away.”
The goal in question was the Tritons’ first of the game scored by Alex Ruiz in the seventh minute of the game. It appeared that a Notre Dame player was offside on the play, but it wasn’t called and the goal was allowed.
Ruiz would score two more goals in the second half to complete the hat trick for Notre Dame. Pecore’s goal came with 15:29 remaining in the game.
“We just have to start playing better together and start trusting one another,” Herber added. “I think sometimes we try to do too much as individuals. Yes, we have some good talent and I let some of that talent be creative, but when the simplest of passes are there, you have to make those. When a guy is open you pass him the ball. It doesn’t seem like anyone wants to step up and be that sparkplug.”
Some positive news for Bay Port came in the form of sophomore Justin Howe, who returned to the lineup for the first time since suffering a leg injury in the Pirates’ first game of the season on August 22.
Bay Port is next in action on Thursday, September 14, when they host Appleton West in a nonconference match beginning at 6:30.