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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
JCU Men's Soccer celly shot
An early goal paved the way for JCU's first win over the Tartans since 2003.
1
Winner John Carroll JCU (3-0-0, 0-0-0)
0
Carnegie Mellon CMU (2-1-0, 0-0-0)
Winner
John Carroll JCU
(3-0-0, 0-0-0)
1
Final
0
Carnegie Mellon CMU
(2-1-0, 0-0-0)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
John Carroll JCU 1 0 1
Carnegie Mellon CMU 0 0 0

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

Men's Soccer Beats Carnegie Mellon in Significant Road Win

PITTSBURGH – A showdown on Pittsburgh soil for the ages commenced on Thursday evening as the Blue Streaks traveled on the road to battle the Tartans from Carnegie Mellon University, looking to win their third in three games after an electric win over Kenyon College this past Sunday.

The last time the Blue Streaks pick up a victory over the Tartans up until this point, the song Hey Ya! by Outkast was at the top of the charts, and the box office favorite was Will Ferrell's Elf. 

This was on November 15th, 2003 in a Round of 32 matchup between the two programs in the NCAA Tournament. To add insult to injury, last season's contest would end in heartbreaking fashion, with Carnegie Mellon scoring a goal to go up 1-0 in the final seconds at Don Shula Stadium. The team knew what was at stake tonight, traveling down to the opposition's campus to look to claim victory on their turf for the first time since 1987.

The Blue Streaks did just that, earning a 1-0 victory late on Thursday night. 

The Tartans started off their season red hot, obliterating Muskingum in their opener with a 9-0 scoreline, and following that up with a 3-0 win over Allegheny. The Blue Streaks on the other hand, were red hot with a 2-1 win over Oberlin and a 4-0 victory over #5 Kenyon in a 72-hour span the weekend prior. The stakes were high, and both teams knew it.

"Throw away the losing streak, throw away the drought, that ends now," said Head Coach Dejan Mladenovic '06 in the pre-game huddle. "We play to our standard and we get the win." After an energetic pep talk from a handful of JCU players, the team was ready to go.

With the sound of the official's whistle, the game was underway. Some back and forth action took the pitch before an early goal would change the landscape of the game. With some promising progression through the center of the pitch, the ball was swung out to Hayden Haffner. Haffner scanned his parameters before firing a delicious cross into the center of the area for Jaden Wright. Wright contorted his body to get a proper nod on the ball and sent it past the rushing keeper for a goal, which sent the John Carroll bench into hysterics. 

Checkmate Blue Streaks. A tribute to the opening goal in Gambier on Sunday radically swung the pendulum of momentum in John Carroll's favor for the opening stages.

Through quick passing and athleticism, the Tartans would slowly start to chip away at John Carroll's dominance, methodically turning the meter in their favor with a few close calls in their attacking third.

There was no shortage of chippiness and gamesmanship in the first half, as some great physical play and plenty of bodies flying all over the pitch created a havoc-filled, yet entertaining first half as the first 45 drew to a close.

Both teams had time to reflect during the halftime period, and were ready to fire from all cylinders – laying it all out on the line for the second half of action.

The second half began with great energy; constant changes in possession, plenty of tackles, and a great ambiance across the spectators. Carnegie Mellon continued to thrive through the middle, and a through ball would slip behind the back line. This would leave the Carnegie Mellon striker 1-on-1 with goalkeeper Brenden Moher. With a spontaneous act of genius, the Tartan player quickly flicked the ball to his right in an attempt to circumnavigate the keeper, and as Moher stretched his arms and legs, the striker drew contact and create a huge chance for Carnegie Mellon to bring it level just five minutes into the second half.

Up to take the penalty kick was Josh Baugh, a Florida-native senior who was no stranger to the Blue Streaks, assisting the game-winning goal in the 82nd minute two years ago against this very John Carroll team. Baugh came up to the spot and eyed the bottom right corner. As he approached, Baugh went left, and was read perfectly by the keeper Moher, diving with confidence and pushing the ball away from danger with a huge game-defying penalty save!

After this, things began to really heat up. Both teams were at each other's throats to put in simply, and chances only got more dangerous looking, but both back lines did exceptionally to bend, but not break.

Things began to get more and more dire, but neither team could find an end product to tally on the scoresheet. With a few hits off the crossbar, some quality saves from both goalkeepers, and a whole lot of carnage, the final whistle blew and the Blue Streaks could breathe a huge sigh of relief. 

After 7,237 days of this streak hanging over the head of each and every player, there would be no more tears as the Blue Streaks were in great spirits after finally stopping the Tartans' reign. John Carroll rises to 3-0-0 with three wins over fantastic programs in the books.

The Blue Streaks will be right back in action on Saturday night, as they return to Don Shula Stadium to take on The College of Wooster at 7 p.m., coverage on jcusports.com and OAC TV.
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