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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
Jaden Wright vs. Oberlin
Sam Herr
Jaden Wright was locked in on Sunday, just as he was in this pregame photo from Friday evening.
4
Winner John Carroll JCU (2-0-0, 0-0-0)
0
Kenyon KEN (0-2-0, 0-0-0)
Winner
John Carroll JCU
(2-0-0, 0-0-0)
4
Final
0
Kenyon KEN
(0-2-0, 0-0-0)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
John Carroll JCU 1 3 4
Kenyon KEN 0 0 0

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

Men's Soccer Usurps #5 Kenyon Owls from National Pedestal

GAMBIER, Ohio – In only the second match of their season and 48 hours after the home opener from Don Shula Stadium, the Blue Streaks embarked on a journey to central Ohio to take on a great foe and a stalwart soccer program throughout Ohio in Kenyon College. 

Ranked fifth in the nation and coming off of a quarterfinal finish in the NCAA tournament last season, the Owls were desperate to continue their momentum. After what many would consider a shocking 4-2 loss for Kenyon to Ohio Northern on Friday, this was a team hungry for redemption. Coming off of a 2-1 win over Oberlin, John Carroll felt that they had something to prove today. A crushing 2-1 loss for the Blue Streaks in the home opener to the Owls last season gave this team an entirely different perspective on the match they had lying at their feet.

The Blue Streaks prevailed on Sunday in a fantastic 4-0 victory over the #5 Owls. 

A hot sunny day with a vibrant student section and parents traveling to make the game created a great atmosphere for one of the most important early regular-season games to date for this program's history. With standards high and tension filling the air, everything was on the line as the referee blew his whistle to kick off the match.

Through the opening minutes, Kenyon were quick to jump on their gameplan. Playing wide and emphasis on prompt ball progression, the Owls spent a good chunk of the opening minutes in the Blue Streak defensive third. Despite playing on their heels during the opening stages, John Carroll was quick to respond, using the counter attack to their advantage to quickly burst the game wide open.

It only took ten minutes to break through, as John Carroll moved the ball up the pitch with haste and played it out wide left to Hayden Haffner. Through contact, Haffner would send in a cross that was up for grabs for Jaden Wright. Despite being a 50/50 chance with the keeper, Wright soared through the air to get contact, chipping it over the keeper and into the net. Sending the bench into hysterics, Wright kickstarted the Blue Streak offense right off the bat.

For the rest of the first half, things were much more quiet on the offensive front for both sides. That is, besides a close call with Jaden Wright almost sealing a brace a few short minutes after his first goal. With a lot of tension coming in at the end of the half, the whistle blew just in time with egos flaring.

The halftime talks were crucial, both of the respective coaches adjusting their teams as necessary. Little did the fans know that Wenzler's Warriors would enter somewhat of a golden age of offense in the final 45 minutes.

Only 90 seconds into the second half, John Carroll increased their advantage. A long ball played over to the left would once again fall to Hayden Haffner. Haffner used his shiftiness to cut inside and get another strike of the ball past the keeper for goal number two.

It didn't stop there, though, as under fifteen minutes later the Owls' defensive woes got even worse. Jaden Wright made a great run down the line, dodging a handful of tackles before blitzing into the box. Wright squared it across to Logan Penton, and as Penton juggled possession, he played it back to Nicholas Graeca, who slid another grounded ball under the arm of the keeper for an incredible 3-0 scoreline.

Finally, Jack Foht sealed the game in the 73rd minute, taking the ball off of a Kenyon defender dribbling into the box, and powering a ground shot just out of the reach for the keeper into the bottom right.

At the final whistle, the Blue Streaks could do nothing but smile, as they fended off the #5 team in the country in commanding fashion in their home opener in Gambier. 

"The boys played at a very high level today. They are capable of great things when they are locked in like they were this afternoon," said Head Coach Dejan Mladenovic '06. "You can't ask for much more from the squad than to get out of Gambier with three points and a shutout."

The Blue Streaks look to continue their momentum on Thursday, when they travel to Carnegie Mellon University to take on the Tartans, who they lost to in the final ten seconds in heartbreaking fashion last season. 

Team captain Izac Coleman talked about the win today, but emphasized a swift shift in concentration to their upcoming contest. 

"This game gave us a lot of momentum going forward, but we're not satisfied…we haven't won anything yet. All focus is on Carnegie Mellon on Thursday."

The Blue Streaks move to 2-0 on the season, and kickoff on Thursday will be at 7:30 p.m. from Pittsburgh.
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