RADNOR >> Springfield’s Mike Wallace can count on one hand how many games he’s played in defense in his career. There were a few appearances in seventh grade as a sweeper, a few minutes of man-marking notable opponents here and there in high school … and not much else. Briefer still is the list of games he’s played this season thanks to an illness that cost him much of the preseason and the start of the campaign. Tuesday night was outing No. 2. But with senior captains and central defenders Justin Donnelly and Ryan Straube missing due to injuries, the trip to Radnor Tuesday looked as good a time as any augment both categories.
Wallace marshalled a cohesive and flawless defense, turning away waves of Radnor pressure and allowing a sensational early goal by Andrew Astrino to stand up in a 1-0 Central League win. Sans Straube and Donnelly, Springfield coach Jason Piombino had little choice but to test Wallace’s game fitness, which consisted of about a half of the Ridley game … at forward, where he scored a goal. The combination of lower physical demands in defense and the void of experience compared to Wallace’s innate soccer sense made it the right gamble.
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