box score

John Carroll needed just a tie to make it official, but a shutout win turned out to be the clincher as the Blue Streaks blanked Mount Union, 2-0, this afternoon at Don Shula Stadium to qualify for the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament a league-record 15th time.

Since the inception of the OAC postseason tournament, John Carroll has made the field in every year but one (1998). From 1992 until 2006, it had been a four-team tournament. This year, it has been expanded to six teams.

The victory over the Purple Raiders was achieved thanks to a pair of Alex Bernot goals, both of which occured in the final 12 minutes of the opening half. Bernot registered his first goal of the day when he outraced the Mount Union defense to a Louis Kastelic pass and beat the keeper with a bullet shot to the right side.bernot's goal came at the 33:26 mark

Bernot would strike again in the 38th minute, this time receiving a thru ball from Joe Ciacchi. Bernot pounded a shot from close range at Mount Union goalkeeper Matt Mazzolini, who had the ball ricochet of fhim, hit a fellow Purple Raider defender and bounce into the net.

JCU would hold that lead the rest of the way for its fifth shutout of the season. The victory moves the Blue Streaks' record to 9-7 overall and 6-2 in the OAC. Mount Union falls to 5-9-2 and 1-5-2 in league play.

John Carroll outshot the visitors, 16-7 for the game, but Mount Union had more shots (7-5) in the second half.