Box Score John Carroll came into today's matchup following the good news that they were ranked fifth in the Mid-South Regional Rankings. The Blue and Gold did not put any extra thought behind the ranking, taking care of business defeating Heidelberg 17-3.
On defense, John Carroll won 18 ground balls, not allowing a goal until the 20:06 mark in the second half, nearly 50 minutes of shutout action by the Blue and Gold.
The senior trio of
Gina Vilsack,
Grace Curatolo, and
Meghan Harte combined for 14 of the 17 Blue Streak goals. Scoring came early and often for JCU, Curatolo scored her first goal not even two minutes into the game.
Last season, Curatolo led all of Division III in assist per game. Continuing her ways of sharing the sugar, the senior found Harte two minutes later, putting the Blue Streaks up 2-0 early.
Vilsack would score two consecutive goals within a matter of 30 seconds. The first six goals of the contest came between the senior trio.
Alexis Guage, scored her 16th goal of the season at the 16:49 mark giving John Carroll the 7-0 advantage.
With 12:00 minutes remaining in the first half, John Carroll found the back of the net once again, this time it would push the lead to 10 goals, putting the running clock into play.
Heading into the locker room, the Blue Streaks pitched a shutout in the first half, owning an 11-0 lead. This marks the third time this season that the John Carroll defense shut an opponent out for an entire half.
Half number two would be more competitive, but the damage would be done from the first half, John Carroll outscored Heidelberg 6-3 in the second period. The same result started in period number two, with Curatolo scoring within the first minute of the half.
Up 13-0, Heidelberg responded with back-to-back goals cutting the deficit to 11 goals. However, it would not be enough as the Blue Streaks tacked on four more goals to close out the game.
With the victory John Carroll has secured the number two seed in the OAC tournament next week.
Next up, John Carroll will have their final regular season battle against Otterbein University, Saturday April 28, game is scheduled to start at 5 p.m.
