Blake Medical Center employees bond and battle

This is the true story of 20 Blake Medical Center employees and three medical center volunteers picked to play on two Island co-ed recreational soccer teams. They worked together and played fun, but competitive, soccer for eight weeks and found themselves going head-to-head in a must win game for the final playoff seat. We saw what happened when the players stopped being polite and started getting real.

In an unprecedented move by The Center, Recreation Director Will Schenerlein accepted the request of Chase Bennion, director of patient experience at Blake Medical Center, to bring in two complete teams to play in the spring season of the adult co-ed recreational soccer league. Bennion wanted to use the soccer games as a hospital bonding opportunity for the 23 employees and volunteers, as well as interact with the Island community.

During the team drafting sessions, the remaining seven team captains embraced Bennion and his hospital cohorts without knowing the skill level of the players or the potential outcome of the season. As the season went on, players from all of the teams got to know these newcomers to the league – many sharing a liquid libation and post-game stories at Slim's Place, a league tradition.

On Tues., July 5, the friendly co-workers got serious in the final game of the season that would pit the two Blake Hospital teams against each other, vying for the final play off position. Finishing the regular season with the same record of 1-6-1, and tying in their first meeting on the field mid-way through the season, spectators and players knew this game would not be easily one by either team.

Because of the jobs some of the players hold at Blake, these two teams often played games during the season with barely enough players to start the game. Tuesday night was not different.

Early in the game, Alex Zaharcu, a medical resident, worked well with Karyn Tietz, a trauma charge nurse, to strike for the first goal attempt for Team Blake #1. Blake #2 came back with a strong goal attempt, but the game remained scoreless.

The on the field skills of hospital volunteers Miguel Ajoy, Paul Gutierrez and Justin Gutierrez were critical in keeping Team Blake #2 competitive throughout the season and in Tuesday night's game.

Team Blake #1 had a scoring opportunity with possession of the ball and progressive care nurse Alyshia Barr by the goal with a cross field attempt to Tietz.

With a strong offensive press and challenges to Blake #1's goalie medical charge nurse Chris Dziuban, Joel Sanchez, who works in food and nutrition services at the hospital, scored the first goal of the game for Team Blake #2 with an impressive header.

After missed offensive opportunities by Blake #1, a misstep allowed their opponent to regain possession. Michael Ashton, cath lab manager, took the ball down field, passing it to his Blake #2 teammate. With the shot going high it out of bounds off of one of the Team Blake Hospital #1 players.

Taking the corner kick for Blake #2, P. Gutierrez got the ball back to Ashton, who found P. Gutierrez wide open, but to no avail. With the ball back in scoring position, Blake #1 players found themselves with a chance to score with a free kick by Bennion. Bennion's shot was just short of Team Blake #2's goalie Mario Prino, who also works in food and nutrition services.

Nearing half-time, med/surg nurse Colleen Muerbe subbed in for Nick Bouchard, ED nurse for Blake #1. With missed opportunities and unlucky bounces of the ball, Bennion's team struggled to put points on the scoreboard.

Tough defensive stops by Blake #2 made it all the more difficult for Blake #1. J. Gutierrez played strong defense, forcing five minutes left in the game that went to the right of the post.

Despite a last minute push to score by Team Blake #1, the first half of play ended with its opposition ahead 1-0. With 23 minutes left in the game of the week, the ladies of Team Blake #1 showed their mental and physical toughness on defense.

With the intensity of the game increasing, the second half of the game had lots of offensive action by the Team Blake #1. As the soccer ball seemed to ping and pong off of the players like a game of foosball goal Blake #2 managed to continue to dominate the ball.

The teams became more animated and more vocal as the seconds ticked off the game clock. Blake #1 stayed in the game with shots on goal and a little bit of luck as a wide open shot by Blake #2 was deflected away from the goal.

Shots by Bennion went over the goal six minutes into the last half. Desperate to score to tie the ball game, Team Blake #1's Bouchard had a scoring opportunity but held onto the ball just a bit took long. Bouchard regained possession of the ball and attempted a cross to Tietz that went just out of her reach.

The friendly competitive game started getting chippy in the last 13 minutes of the game, as the competitive spirit started to come out in the do or die game. Each team knowing this might be the end of the road for them as the level of play elevated, as did the emotions.

Bouchard hit Barr across the field to score Team Blake #1's first goal and what would be its only goal of the night. With the game tied at 1-1, progressive care nurse Stephanie Vergo was pushed down by one of Blake #2's players with no ill intent. Vergo did not take the action sitting down and used the energy to charge her game.

In the final minutes of the game, P. Gutierrez found himself in a two-on-one situation. Taking his time, P. Gutierrez found his shot regaining Blake #2's lead in the game.

Spirited banter back and forth between the two teams ensued with less than two minutes on the clock. Team Blake #2 looked to widen its lead with another shot on goal that went high and right.

Barr and Bennion continued to work hard to reset the score with a tie, but Barr could not get a strong leg on her goal attempt with just a minute left on the scoreboard. In one last scoring attempt, goalkeeper Dziuban launched a goal kick to Bennion, who shot the ball, but Team Blake #1's goalie Prino made the save to end the game with the score 2-1.

Team Blake #1's first season on the Island would not have been team building success without transporter Aaron Vanhook, progressive care nurse Ashley Grover, and and physical therapist Ryan Besecu.

Advancing to the playoffs, Team Blake #2 worked hard throughout the season with the support of certified nursing assistants Samantha Darlington, Rubio Rodriguez and Karina Matute, patient access registrar Giovanni Reino and med/surg nurse Johanna Martinez.

Blake #2 faced the number one seeded team Slim's Place Thursday night and lost in a close game 0-1.

The semifinal games Thursday night will see Slim's Place play Eason Builders Group at 7 p.m. and Moss Builders battle Wash Family Construction. Two will remain to play for the coveted Paul "Ace" Hayward Championship Cup.

Sun Scoreboard

Tuesday, July 5

Adult Basketball

Semi Final Playoff Games

Team Jackson 61
Team Aaron 45

Team Calvary 64
Team Sapanora 50

Adult Co-Ed Soccer

Blake #1 1
Blake #2 2

Thursday, July 7

Adult Co-Ed Soccer

Ross Built Construction 3
Eason Builders Group 9

Jiffy Lube 3
Moss Builders 4

Island Pest Control 2
Wash Family Construction 3

Slim's Place 1
Blake Medical #2 0