Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
Penton approaches the next
Matt Lyons
2
John Carroll Univ. JCU (2-2-1)
2
Case Western Reserve CWRUM (2-1-2)
John Carroll Univ. JCU
(2-2-1)
2
Final
2
Case Western Reserve CWRUM
(2-1-2)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
John Carroll Univ. JCU 2 0 2
Case Western Reserve CWRUM 2 0 2

Game Recap: Men's Soccer | | Gianluca DiGiacomo, Staff Writer

In a Battle of Cleveland Soccer Powers, Blue Streaks Tie the Spartans

CLEVELAND – John Carroll Men's Soccer was in action tonight with a thriller of a 2-2 draw over the esteemed Case Western Reserve University, looking to bounce back and get back on winning terms after a heartbreaking loss to Carnegie Mellon on Saturday in the final seconds.

The Blue Streaks were hungry for win on the night after losing back-to-back home games for the first time since 2016.

A cool night in Case Western Reserve was filled with high tension, with both teams looking to climb the ranks not far away from competitive conference schedules.

The game started with the Spartans on top, controlling the tempo of the match very well and putting an abundant amount of pressure on the Blue Streaks' back line. Within the first seven minutes, a goal was already put into the back of the net.

Off of the corner, Case Western Reserve put a header over a slew of players. As CWRU tried to get it back into the air, the ball got deflected as it took to the air at an awkward angle. Case Western Reserve's fullback, Jad Oglesby, jumped into the air and struck an absolutely majestic bicycle kick into the top left corner of the next, absolutely nothing the Blue Streaks could do as the ball traveled into the net to the amazement of everyone. An absolutely fantastic finish, and an ESPN Top 10-worthy goal to kick things into full gear in the early stages.

After this goal, the Blue Streaks began to pick things up; Case Western still got their fair share of chances in, but the Blue Streaks looked far more determined than before.

Ten minutes after the opening goal, John Carroll brought themselves level. Some great buildup through the middle of the pitch got the ball to Ben Brucken on the right side. Brucken sent a great ball into the box right onto the foot of Nicholas Felician, who barreled a volley into the top of the net.

The Blue Streaks took the momentum from this goal to another level as six minutes later they would take the lead. A long ball from Carter Esterle takes a sour touch off of a Case Western Reserve defender, and Logan Penton runs onto it. A beautiful run concludes with turning the fullback inside-out with a nutmeg and slotting the ball into the back of the net. JCU possessed a solid 2-1 lead with plenty left in the tank.

The rest of the half was a war of attrition for chances, as many free-for-alls broke out in the box with plenty of deflections and awkward angles until the final 90 seconds.

A good buildup from Case Western Reserve in the center of the pitch progressing forward led to the ball falling into the feet of the senior Matt Vatne. Vatne took the ball into the attacking third with haste and menace. With JCU's failure to close out and step to the attacking player, Vatne fired from an impressive distance with a powered low shot into the bottom left corner to equalize.

Both teams went into the half with good offense and good movement, with the ever-changing pendulum of momentum not quite favoring a particular side.

The second half was filled with plenty of excitement, with some more close chances in the box and some promising shots from JCU with close calls from the likes of Michael Burrington and Hayden Haffner, among others.

With the game boiling over, the final whistle finally blew, as the Blue Streaks would pick up a draw in a solid showing.

The Blue Streaks will be back in action at Don Shula Stadium on Saturday September 17, against Ohio Wesleyan University, hungry to pick up their first home victory of the season taking on a very talented opponent.
Print Friendly Version

Sponsors