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

| By: Gianluca DiGiacomo, Staff Writer

The Blue Streaks’ First Match Set for Final Season in Ohio Athletic Conference

NEW CONCORD, Ohio – At the conclusion of a stellar non-conference tenure, the John Carroll Men's Soccer program has officially reached the halfway point of its 2024 season.

With the conference season ahead, stakes are at an all-time high as John Carroll yearns to take two more Ohio Athletic Conference trophies to the house with their final year in the group before moving to the North Coast Athletic Conference at the beginning of next school year.

Meet the Opposition: Muskingum Fighting Muskies

Form
Entering Ohio Athletic Conference play, the Muskies have accumulated a 4-4-2 record, staying consistent with no longer runs of poor/great form. After dropping two games in a row to Geneva and Hiram respectively, they finished their non-conference on a high note with a 3-0 victory over Pitt-Greensburg.

From a grand perspective, the Muskies are already off to better grounds than in many years past, as before this year, the last time the team picked up more than four wins in a season was back in 2019 with a 7-11-1 record. Things are certainly looking up, and the opening matches will be a clear indicator of how the team performs through the rest of conference play.

Meet the Coaching Staff
Muskingum Head Coach Josh Lubich is in the full swing of his first season at the helm for the Muskies. After coaching at Defiance College for the last few years, being the end-all-be-all of the program, managing just about every part of its operation. Lubich's list of accomplishments include two HCAC Tournament berths, including a win over Rose-Hulman in the opening round in 2021.

Before his collegiate coaching career, Lubich coached in the OHSAA level at Howland High School, where he guided the squad to two Division II State Championship appearances, including a State Championship.

As a player, Lubich played four years at Hiram College, taking team captain status.

Team Style/Ones to Watch
The Muskies will be the second team the Blue Streaks will face on the year to play three defenders in the back, who typically lean towards more of a low block in defensive shape.

Despite a more tame approach to games, the team is filled with energy and chooses their battles wisely when pressing far up the pitch. With their eclectic nature, you never know when the tempo will pick up, so it is important to control the game from start to finish.

In terms of scoring, the team has a decent spread down the line of goalscorers, with senior striker Daniel Carlson leading the charge with three goals on the year. Not far behind are the Notre Dame transfer wing midfielder Jacob Gulu, spark plug Abdikani Mohamed, and wing midfielder Hunter Keivens with two goals each. Given the offensive involvement on the wings, expect the team to maximize the width of the pitch.

Coach Lubich keeps the back line relatively consistent, trusting the likes of Alex Innocenti and Deaton Shade the most; the center backs being the only members of the team to start in all ten games thus far. Accompanied by the first-year Landon Daugherty, the trio of freshmen have been thrown in the deep end to start what will hopefully be the team's go-to trio for years to come.

Your John Carroll Blue Streaks

Form
Wenzler's Warriors enter their final OAC season with a 6-2-2 record. With a three-game winless streak and back-to-back shutouts towards the end of non-conference play, the team bounced back with a massive win at Don Shula Stadium last Saturday against Calvin University. An opening goal from Logan Penton and a brace from Luka Pranjeta fueled a 3-1 win. Compared to the 6-2-1 record from the 2023 season, the Blue Streaks are on a solid trajectory to make an impact on their Ohio-based peers one final time.

Their out-of-conference record ties them for second best non-conference record in the OAC, level with Ohio Northern and behind the undefeated Wilmington College (7-0-3).

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 50-17-9 record to date, picking up his 50th milestone last Saturday against Calvin University. He was inducted into the JCU Athletic Hall of Fame last season for his playing career feats. 

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
Wenzler's Warriors bring a strong blend of team chemistry and individual brilliance to the table against each opponent they take on, and the team will be aiming to continue their offensive momentum from last Saturday with a 3-1 win over Calvin, defeating the Knights for the first time since 2007.

The front line of Logan Penton, Jaden Wright, and Hayden Haffner bring a strong presence to the Blue Streaks attack and some brilliant individual play. After a brief period of struggle to get them all to shine, things seem to be going back to normal in terms of a lucrative offense. Add the firepower of players like Dylan Halm, Luka Pranjeta, Andrew Massucci, Jack Foht, and Patrick Koenig to the mix and you have a serious problem for opposition.

The midfield with players such as Nicholas Graeca, Gui Wanderley, and the freshmen Nicholas Mikulec also makes a great liaison between the defensive and attacking fronts.

One of the finest ingredients of the team in recent memory, however, has been their back line. With only six goals conceded through ten games, two Blue Streaks goalkeepers stand on top of the OAC for the Goals Against Average.

Matchup History
  • John Carroll Men's Soccer currently holds a total record of 33-2-1 in all competitions against Muskingum University. Here are a quick few facts about the historical matchup:
  • John Carroll has only conceded one total goal against the Muskies since 2010; shutting them out a whopping 13 times since
  • The Blue Streaks have not conceded a goal against Muskingum since a 8-1 win in 2017
  • The Muskies have not defeated John Carroll since their 1-0 victory back in November 2008, and before that was back in 1994
  • The only draw with the squad came back in 2006 in New Concord
  • John Carroll have tallied on three goals or more in each of the last three contests

Up Next
The Blue Streaks will have a massive test ahead of them as they will travel to Alliance on Wednesday October 9 to take on the University of Mount Union for one final epic conference battle, kickoff set for 7 p.m.

Meanwhile, the Muskies will travel to Wilmington on Wednesday to take on the Quakers, with a 7 p.m. kickoff.

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 the Muskingum Athletics Website and OAC TV.

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