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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
Merdeith Coloian in the NCAA Tournament Third Round
Jose Figueroa
Meredith Coloian provided the game-winning goal, while Madeline Martin Kosier secured the program record for shutouts. 
1
Winner John Carroll JCU (16-1-5, 8-0-1)
0
MIT MIT (21-4-1, 10-1-0)
Winner
John Carroll JCU
(16-1-5, 8-0-1)
1
Final
0
MIT MIT
(21-4-1, 10-1-0)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
John Carroll JCU 0 1 1
MIT MIT 0 0 0

Game Recap: Women's Soccer | | Matt Lyons, Staff Writer

Coloian Continues the Party as John Carroll Women's Soccer Stuns #14 MIT

GRANTHAM, PA -- As the Women of Carroll made history making the tournament, they continue to add to the accolades. JCU Women's Soccer have punched their ticket to the Elite 8 of the NCAA Division III Tournament.

The Blue Streaks defeated the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Engineers in the Third Round on Saturday by a score of 1-0.

Despite it being November and windy, the sun was out at Messiah University for the first ever Sweet 16 soccer match in John Carroll Women's Soccer history. 

Before the match even started, history was made at Shoemaker Field for both teams. John Carroll has never played a team in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference. For MIT, this marked the first time in school program history playing a team from the Ohio Athletic Conference. 

As the Blue Streaks and the Engineers lined up for introductions in Grantham, Pennsylvania, this Sweet 16 matchup's atmosphere was thrilling and both teams were eager for action. 

The Blue Streaks started off hot like they have been doing this entire season. Staying in the offensive front, the Blue Streaks were able to get some fouls drawn and some corner kicks. The first true shot attempt came in the fifth minute when sophomore Meredith Coloian took a corner kick. Her cross found the head of sophomore Emily Patrzyk, but the shot went wide. 

Minutes later, MIT had their first scoring opportunity off a deep throw in. Alexis Spinetta put a shot on goal, but the hands of OAC Freshman of the Year Madeline Martin Kosier rejected the shot attempt. 

The Engineers kept the momentum by putting some more shots on the Blue Streaks. Mia Sedgwick sent in a howitzer in on Kosier, but was rejected by the goalkeeper. 

The Engineers also got a handful of free kicks deep in the offensive zone in the first fifteen minutes. They were all great attempts, with the highlight being by Meagan Rowlett, who found the crossbar on the free kick. The Blue Streaks took a sigh of relief and survived the trio of free kicks. 

John Carroll continued to fight, and had a great attempt in the 19th minute. Using the magic of her feet, Patrzyk swerved through the Engineers' defense to take a shot twenty five yards out. Morgan Everett jumped to her left to make an incredible save to keep the game tied. 

Five minutes later, MIT would make a great attempt of her own. Rowlett put a very accurate shot high and right twenty yards out, but Kosier held the line, punching the ball out of her own box. 

Challenging the Engineer offense, the Blue Streaks would give up a penalty kick in the 29th minute. The referee called a foul in the box off soft contact by a JCU defender on an Engineer near the endline. The Engineers sent Natalie Barnouw to the spot to take the penalty kick. Reading Barnouw like a book, Kosier showed why she deserved OAC Goalkeeper of the year, diving to her left to make the save.

The ball would stay in the midfield for the next seven minutes, rarely reaching the offensive zones until Katherine Ruan put a cross on net. Unfortunately for her, it found the foot of Gabriella Walter, who would clear it to midfield. 

One of the last attempts of the half was seen in the fortieth minute with a free kick twenty seven yards out. Switching the free kick taker once again, MIT would send Sean Luk to take it. She would take a beautiful shot, but was just a bit too high, landing in the top netting. 

After another chippy five minutes, the center referee blew the whistle for halftime and the back of the nets stayed dry with a 0-0 score.

Scoreless at the half, the offensive efforts were in favor of MIT. The Engineers outshot the Blue Streaks, 13-2, and 7-2 on goal. The Blue Streaks played chippy, giving up four corners and drawing nine fouls. Under the charge of Michael Marich, the Blue Streaks hoped to change the tide in the second forty-five. 

MIT would continue the momentum into the second half. Spinetta would take a shot towards the net, but All-OAC first teamer Kathryn Shaffer saved the shot with her foot.

Corner after corner, the Engineers would keep coming in hot, getting three in the first five minutes. Koiser punched two out and held the third, rejecting each opportunity.

John Carroll would claw back with their first opportunity of the half minutes later when Abby Smith took a shot, but was just wide. 

Despite being outshot, John Carroll would find the back of the net on their third shot. Patrzyk got tripped up twenty yards out and would be rewarded with a free kick for the Blue Streaks. 

The Blue Streaks gave the ball to sophomore Meredith Coloian to take the free. Eyeing up Everett, she tapped the ball bottom left off the keeper's hands to break the tie in the 57th minute. 

"I saw a window in their defense on their free kick," said Coloian. "To be able to sneak a goal in against a great overall team was essential to move on in the tournament".

Coloian would become the fifth Blue Streak to score in the NCAA Tournament. Kathryn Shaffer, Madyson Rosado, and Sara Gennuso scored in the first round against Cortland and Abby Walker tallied a goal in the second round against Case Western Reserve. No Blue Streak has scored two goals in the tournament.

"To have a team that has so many goal scorers from many different locations allows our team to be dangerous", said Head Coach Michael Marich. "Scoring from random spots on the pitch to set pieces and keeping zeros on the board makes us a special team."


Despite being down, MIT was not out and kept the offensive efforts. Barnouw took a shot on net, but Koiser ate the ball up for a save. Another effort by the Engineers would come off the foot of Barnouw, but it would go wide left. 

Playing back and forth, the Blue Streaks would get down field.  Rosado took a shot to the right of Everett, who dove to her right, to get the Blue Streaks a corner, which would be cleared out by Julia Howarth. 

The next ten minutes would be very fifty-fifty. Not many shots on either side, but Everett and Kosier stopped all of the shots that came to them. 

With 18 minutes remaining, MIT got a great opportunity. Kaitlin Zareno passed the ball up to Luk, who would take a shot just wide. The Engineers got another opportunity a minute later, when they would get a thirty yard free kick. Luk took a shot on net, and reading the spin on the ball, Kosier collected another save to suppress another opportunity for the Engineers. 

MIT would take another shot in the 78th minute, and Zareno took a filthy shot in the box. Out of the reach of Koiser, it would go wide, skimming the post. 

With ten minutes left, mother nature made it difficult for John Carroll on the defensive efforts. Despite the sun glaring at the defense and Koiser, JCU rejected a shot in the 83rd minute when Zareno took a screened shot deep in the offensive zone. 

The Engineers kept firing on Kosier, but the defensive back line helped her out in the last five minutes. In rapid succession, Rowlett took two shots on net, but Shaffer blocked the first shot and Malinky blocked the second shot. 

In the last desperate minutes, MIT tried putting shots on net, but the Blue Streaks kept rejecting and clearing the ball away from Kosier. And as the clock hit zero, the Blue Streaks ran onto the field and punched a ticket into the Elite 8, the farthest a John Carroll soccer team has ever made it in the tournament.

The Engineers of MIT outshot the Blue Streaks 29-7 and 12-4 on goal. They also had more corners, 10-4, in their strong scoreless offensive efforts. 

In the shutout, Koiser collected her tenth shutout. With this blank sheet, she now becomes the only goalkeeper in program history to get ten shutouts in a season, surpassing Kelly Spitaleri's 9 shutouts in 2001, which was the only other team to make the NCAA Tournament. 

"It is truly incredible to receive this honor in my freshman year, and to get this award by shutting out Case and MIT," said Koiser. "I know I will get the credit, but if it was not for the defensive backline, I would not get this award. I am incredibly grateful, but the job is not finished".

The strong back line played a critical role in another ranked upset. 

"After playing so many games together, we have become so confident and so organized that we have communicated so well to become one of the best teams in the nation," said Wohleber."

Just like the Bee Gees said, the Blue Streaks will be dancing tomorrow at 1:00pm against the Messiah University Falcons in Grantham, Pennsylvania in the Elite 8 of the NCAA D-III Soccer Tournament. 
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