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Peter Wangechi

Men’s Soccer Match Preview: John Carroll University vs. Capital University

| By: Gianluca DiGiacomo, Staff Writer

Blue Streaks Back at Home in First OAC Game at Don Shula Stadium

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS – After a two-game conference away spell, the Blue Streaks are back in action at Don Shula Stadium to take on the Capital Comets. After facing a tough defeat in Alliance, Wenzler's Warriors are looking to maintain their unbeaten streak at home stemming back from their season opener against Kenyon College.

With the season really running rampant now, the squad has to keep a steady pace to finish out the regular season, and their road to getting back on track begins with a 7 p.m. kickoff.

Meet the Opposition: Capital University Comets

Form
After an OAC Quarterfinal exit last season at the hands of the Blue Streaks, Capital came into their third conference match with a 3-5-3 record (2-0 OAC). With some major departures from last season's squad, the team was forced to adapt and change, yielding a 1-5-3 out of conference schedule.

After going winless in their first six wins, the Comets picked up their sole victory in a 6-0 thrashing of Mount St. Joseph. With two tough defeats after that to DePauw and Ohio Wesleyan respectively, Capital marched into conference play with a 3-1 win over Baldwin Wallace and a 4-0 victory against Heidelberg.

Meet the Coaching Staff
Head Coach Corey Kirk enters his first season as head coach at Capital University, after being hired prior to the 2024 season.

Beginning his career as a head coach at Watkins Memorial High School, Kirk later moved to New Albany High School as an associate Head Coach for the Eagles, helping guide the squad to a OHSAA Division I State Championship appearance in 2020. Within that season, he was named OSSCA's State Assistant Coach of the Year for his efforts.

Kirk began his collegiate coaching status as a disciple of legendary coach Jay Martin as an assistant at Ohio Wesleyan University for two years in 2021 and 2022. Kirk was on the staff that won NCAC Coaching Staff of the Year with two NCAA Tournament appearances while mentoring two All-Americans, five All-Regions, and twelve All-Conference honorees.

In the most recent season, Kirk served as the head coach at Muskingum University, where he helped boost the team's win percentage and total goals scored.

As a player, Kirk was a four-year starter and team captain at nationally-ranked Ohio Dominican University, where he earned two Daktronics Scholar Athlete awards.

Team Style/Ones to Watch
Despite losses of key players such as Jack Kossoudji, Jack Francisco, and Jarrett Puckett, the Comets have not lost their identity of being a pacey, high intensity-oriented squad with loads of great talent still within their lineup.

A primary source of the team's quality comes from the midfielder Jacob Deever, a returning player from last year's team playing in the attacking midfield who has been a key piece for quite some time now. Knocking in a goal and three assists on the year thus far, Deever has also led the team in minutes by nearly a 200-minute margin. Not only are his attributes seen on the scoresheet, but Deever is also the engine for the high press through the center.

From a goal-scoring perspective, the senior Devon Hess remains a prominent force up front, as well as a fresh face on the wing in the freshman Nico Voight. Leading the scoring charge with five goals, the Independence, Kentucky-native has settled in nicely with the Comets, especially in conference play notching a brace against Baldwin Wallace and scoring another against Heidelberg.

A similar midfield look for last year as Brennan Hesse and Tony Epstein play the double pivots, serving as the liaisons between the defensive and attacking lines.

The back line has seen a good mix of talent, with sophomore Terry Jackson being the constant of the bunch, who with Jacob Deever serves as one of the two players to start in all 11 matches to date.

Your John Carroll Blue Streaks

Form
Coming into the final OAC opener for the Blue Streaks, Deki's army marches back to their home grounds with a 7-3-2 (1-1 OAC) record to show for it.

After splitting their opening games, the Blue Streaks bounced back with four wins in a row. After a three-game winless streak of two draws and a loss to Case Western Reserve, the Blue Streaks rekindled the fire with a crucial 3-1 win over Calvin to close out the non-conference.

Opening OAC competition, the squad traveled to New Concord to collect three points in a narrow 1-0 win over Muskingum, and aim to bounce back from a brutal 2-0 loss to Mount Union from Kehres Field in Alliance on Wednesday, courtesy of a brace from the fifth-year Carter Hancock.

Meet the Coaching Staff
Athletic Hall of Famer and Head Coach Dejan Mladenovic takes on his fourth season as head coach after 15 years as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. Through his first three seasons, Mladenovic has captured two OAC Tournament Championships, one OAC Regular Season Championship, and three NCAA Tournament berths to complement a 51-18-9 record to date. He was inducted into the JCU Athletic Hall of Fame last season for his playing career.

Accompanying Mladenovic on the coaching staff are assistant coaches Ante Pilekic (4th year) and Michael Adelman (3rd year), as well as Athletic Trainer Eddie Dobrowolski.

Team Style/Ones to Watch
With a vast pool of personnel and plenty of technicality, the Blue Streaks bring a great combination of team play and individual brilliance to keep opponents on their toes. The most apparent example is within their attack, where no single player has dominated the ranks. With 19 goals on the season, four different players have knocked in three goals each (Wright, Haffner, Halm, Pranjeta), with each of the bunch having select runs of form that are extremely difficult to predict.

From a tactical perspective, the Streaks have become a far more pragmatic team in a formational sense, going from 5-6 different systems last season to sticking with one gameplan through the entire campaign this fall. 

The fifth-year wingers in Jaden Wright and Logan Penton will bring the pain this evening for Mount's defense, certainly a clash for the ages as the two have combined for ten goal involvements to date. Both extremely pacey, silky smooth, and ravenous when attacking the goal, their roles will be dependent on the Purple Raiders' defensive approach and how much space they have to attack the center or to maximize the width of the pitch. Fifth-year Hayden Haffner has also been a force up top, and has shifted between the front line and the wings this season.

Off the bench, the Blue Streaks have a great rotation of first-team quality attackers with Jack Foht, Patrick Koenig, Dylan Halm, and Luka Pranjeta ready to pounce on any given occasion.

The midfield has also been in a great swing of talent, Nicholas Graeca being the top performer with two goals and four assists to compliment a tireless mentality and a newfound sense of composure.

Newcomers such as the first year Nicholas Mikulec and the Brazilian Notre Dame College transfer Gui Wanderley have also been great additions, and senior Andrew Ruggiero has been in a great run of form in the last few games to bring another element.

As mentioned before, the back line has been the glue holding many operations together, with graduate student Izac Coleman and fifth-year Daniel Kalic being the constants in a defense constantly changing due to tactics or injury.

To top it all off, the goalkeepers have been on top of their game—both Brenden Moher and Dominc Grobler standing atop the Ohio Athletic Conference on Goals Against Average.

Matchup History
As it stands, the Blue Streaks hold a record of 31-9-2 against the Comets in all competitions. Last year's season yielded two very entertaining games against the two sides. During the regular season, the Comets made the trip up to University Heights on senior night to hand John Carroll a humiliating 3-1 loss to the Blue Streaks on Senior Night.

In the postseason, the 4-seeded Blue Streaks clashed once again against the 5-seeded Comets at home. After a goal in the dying embers of the first half, the Blue Streaks had 45 minutes to save their season. Five minutes into the second half, Brenden Swann would score a marvelous free kick from distance to level the game. After a scoreless remainder of regulation, it was time for overtime.

After an uneventful 19 minutes, the Blue Streaks rallied for a final attack. A promising buildup and a shot from seven yards out was blocked by Ethan Ogden. With a corner whipped in, Steven Samuelson scores off a header with 19 seconds left on the clock and John Carroll advances in dramatic fashion.

In the grand scheme of things, here are some historical facts about the matchup:
  • Last year's regular season matchup was Capital's first win over the Blue Streaks on John Carroll grounds since 2015
  • In the last five games, John Carroll has outscored the Comets 14-6
  • The Blue Streaks defeated the Comets in each of their matchups from 1990-2005, including a whopping 14-0 victory back in 1996
  • The Comets have not scored back-to-back regular season victories over John Carroll since games in 2008-2009
  • John Carroll holds a 19-4-2 home record against the Comets

Up Next
The Blue Streaks have another midweek derby from Finnie Stadium in Barea on October 16th against Baldwin Wallace University, kickoff set for 7 p.m.

The Comets stay on the road and travel up to Marietta to take on the Pioneers on Wednesday, with kickoff also set for 7 p.m.

Where to Follow
Coverage of today's match will be available on @jcusports and @jcumenssoccer accounts on X, Instagram, and Facebook. The stream for the match will be located on jcusports.com and OAC TV.

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