Welcome to this week’s blog update on our Gladiators! With the Thanksgiving festivities shortening the week, our team faced a packed schedule of thrilling games crammed into three action-packed days. Join us as we recap the thrilling moments and highlights from the games of our varsity teams!

Men’s Basketball @ Foro Italico: W 40-34
Men’s 5v5 Soccer vs Link Erasmus: L 2-7
Tennis @ Roma Tre: L 2-1
Women’s Soccer vs Roma Tre: W 16-0
Men’s Soccer vs Lumsa: D 2-2
Coed Volleyball @ Roma Tre: L 3-0

Our Basketball team keeps up their streak of consecutive victories, extending it to 3 by defeating the reigning champions from Foro Italico on their home turf with a score of 34-40. They remain firm at the top of the standings. In the next game on Thursday, they will be guests at Roma Tre, continuing to chase their dreams. “It was a really good game vs a very strong Foro Italico team. The game was a seesaw of momentum which saw neither team have the upper hand until the last minutes of the game. Our team Captain and Vice-Captain took the reigns of this game, with Chris keeping us afloat until David could finish them off, with 3 minutes left in the game, with an 8-0 run to bring the Gladiators to victory to a 3-0 start to keep our season unblemished and our undefeated status intact” declared Coach Cano at the end of the game.
MVPs: Christopher Maggiano & David Davitaia

Despite the final score of 7-2 favoring Link Erasmus, the Men’s 5v5 Soccer Gladiators delivered a spirited performance, showcasing both defensive resilience and counter-attacking efforts. In the end, the opponents’ technical prowess proved decisive. Coach Franceschi, reflecting on the match, stated: “Compared to last game, I saw a lot of improvement this time. We were able to play as a cohesive team, we made some good actions even though some of them didn’t end up into scores, and we ended up losing the match still. However, I liked the way the team played, especially since our opponent last night was one of the best in the league ranking. Unfortunately, we started off the season with a series of bad injuries which stopped us from the most important practices; right now, we need to keep working hard, with concentration and consistency: we’re on the right way to get important results.”
MVP: Matteo Savino

This tennis evening started off poorly, given the weather conditions and the state of some of our Gladiators who faced Roma Tre in a match where more could and should have been done. The result ends 2-1 in favor of the home team, and the Gladiators postpone the quest for their first victory to the next match. “Vittoria and Luis played the double but there was still a lack of tactical organization, resulting in a loss of the first match. Then Vittoria played again the wom. single game and won the first set with a brilliant performance; however, her opponent managed to recover by understanding the weak points and winning the second set and then the game on the tie break. In the men’s singles, Federico faced little competition, easily surpassing his opponent. Unfortunately, despite having favorable opportunities, we ended up losing. It’s disappointing as we had a good chance to secure the victory, but we couldn’t capitalize on it in the end. I am confident that the hard work will yield good results soon.” This analysis of the match was provided by our Athletics Coordinator, Marco Iorio.
MVPs: Vittoria Caroli & Federico Lanfranconi

It seems that the Men’s Soccer team has yet to learn how to win, but they have certainly learned how to fight. This is the significant difference noticed after the last appearance against Campus Biomedico. Against Lumsa, we see a similar initial attitude from the previous match, with the guests taking a two-goal lead. However, this time, the Gladiators draw their swords and secure a well-deserved draw. Coach Marian declares, “The team is trying to react to the difficulties encountered earlier in the season. Besides there is a lot to work on, with everyone’s availability and will, we will be able to do improve. Those who make sacrifices and fight to improve are certainly on the right path. The positive note is the great reaction the team had in this match. After going 2-0 down, risking to concede more goals to the opponents, the boys managed to get back into the game at the end and to almost win.”
MVP: Filippo Francia

Tactical organization and team cohesion weren’t enough this time for our Volleyball team. Roma Tre is a powerhouse with two former professional players who, now in the university championship, make a significant impact. Nevertheless, the Gladiators fought valiantly, losing in three sets but totaling an impressive 65 points. They exit the field with their heads held high. Coach Di Vincenzo declares, “Although I had to make some necessary changes to the starting lineup, the players’ approach to the game was incisive and determined. Too many errors in reception and defense unfortunately did not allow the central and lateral attackers to be incisive in the right way on all the balls, leaving the opponents always a few points ahead. The service served by Tej and Lance was effective and, on several occasions, caused difficulties for the opponent’s reception. We had then a very tight second set that would have been won with a few fewer errors. The match ends with a clear 3-0 for the opposing team but our Gladiators are already ready to start again even stronger for next week’s match.”
MVPs: Nicolette Klibson & Lance Lai