VIDEO, PHOTOS: Blanda scores early and late as Wildwood blanks Wildwood Catholic for first-ever win on rival’s home field

Posted: September 15th 2026

Wildwood's Michael Blanda, who scored both goals in his team's win, fends off pressure from Wildwood Catholic's Evan Papageorgiou during Tuesday's game.

By BRIAN CUNNIFF

CapeAtlanticLive.com

STONE HARBOR – The Wildwood High School and Wildwood Catholic Academy boys soccer teams first started playing one another in the 1980s. There were some years in the 2010s and early 2020s where the teams didn’t face one another but the series goes back a long way.

Wildwood finally accomplished something for the first time against its longstanding rival Tuesday afternoon.

Michael Blanda’s goals in the first and last five minutes of the match accounted for all of the scoring as the Warriors posted a 2-0 win over the Crusaders in a key Cape-Atlantic United Conference game.

The victory was Wildwood’s first ever over Wildwood Catholic on its home field. Wildwood Catholic still leads the all-time series 28-4-3.

Wildwood (1-2) was the aggressor from the start and created a handful of glorious chances in the opening 10 minutes. Blanda’s redirection of a crossing pass narrowly missed the net only a minute before he connected from the same spot off Alex Palomec’s cross to give Wildwood the early lead and the team’s first goal of the season.

The Warriors threatened for more, with Wildwood Catholic goalkeeper Theo Margarites making a marvelous diving save on a free kick from 20 yards by Angel DeJesus before Wildwood’s Sean Cunniff sent an open chance from eight yards out over the crossbar.

“We have been starving for a goal,” Wildwood coach Sal Zampirri said. “The boys have been working hard and I think they’ve been playing pretty well despite the results. But they were very, very hungry to get a goal and what better situation than to get the first goal early in the game at Catholic.”

Wildwood Catholic (2-1-1) managed one good chance in the opening half but Andrew Catanoso’s shot from inside the box was stopped by Wildwood goalkeeper Michael McWade.

Wildwood’s fast start was “huge,” Wildwood Catholic coach Tommy Bolle said. “I keep saying that when our guys get off flat-footed at the start, all it takes is a fired-up team to punch one in early. Wildwood had that intensity the whole game and we just never really brought it. It’s a good lesson for us.”

Wildwood Catholic enjoyed slightly more of the possession in the second half and had the ball in Wildwood’s third of the field on numerous occasions but never truly really threatened to score. The Crusaders’ efforts were hampered when one of their top players, Nick Catanoso, went out with a foot injury late in the second half.

Blanda put the game away for Wildwood three minutes from full time by heading home Angel Rosario’s free kick at the right post.

“It always makes for stressful games when you’re holding that one-goal lead for so long,” Zampirri said. “The clock seems to slow down on you, and then there’s so many moments where you get nervous. I knew Wildwood Catholic was going to keep on coming, coming and coming at us. But we weathered the storm. I think we’ve been playing pretty good defense all year so far but we’ve had one or two mistakes and we’ve gotten a little unlucky. 

“It took a while but getting one in the last few minutes there took a little weight off our chests. Now we finally got the result we were looking for.”

McWade made seven saves in goal for Wildwood.