Skip To Main Content

John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
Noah Schmidt vs. Kenyon 10-14-26
Peter Wangechi
Noah Schmidt scored the tying goal here on a great header
3
Winner Kenyon KEN (10-2-0, 4-0-0)
2
John Carroll JCU (5-6-2, 2-2-0)
Winner
Kenyon KEN
(10-2-0, 4-0-0)
3
Final
2
John Carroll JCU
(5-6-2, 2-2-0)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Kenyon KEN 2 1 3
John Carroll JCU 0 2 2

Game Recap: Men's Soccer | | JCUSID

Men's Soccer Fights Hard in Second Half But Can't Upset #25 Kenyon

The Blue Streaks scored two second-half goals in an excellent effort

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS – Victory eluded John Carroll Men's Soccer against Kenyon College. But the Blue Streaks showed they belonged with the top dogs in the North Coast Athletic Conference.

The Blue Streaks allowed a pair of first-half goals before roaring back to tie it up in the second half. A late Kenyon tally allowed the Owls to escape Don Shula Stadium unscathed. 

Kenyon entered as the #25 team in NCAA Division III. The veteran Owls easily won the three previous NCAC matches, by a combined score of 12-0. The young JCU side checked in with a 2-1 mark in conference play, fresh off a 5-2 drubbing of DePauw. 

The experienced Owls got on the board early after enjoying the better of the possession in the early going. In the ninth minute, Andrew Adams sent a pass into the box past a pair of Blue Streaks and to the foot of Lucas Alarcon. The junior slotted a goal low left past the JCU keeper to break the ice.

Kenyon continued to pressure the Blue Streaks, though the hosts did get some opportunities. Off a corner kick in the 24th minute, JCU nearly scored on a header far post, but the Kenyon keeper was at the right place at the right time. 

Late in the first half, the Owls got a bigtime insurance goal. A quick pass from Joey Nigro found an open Andrew Adams, and the junior rocketed a shot low left off the inside of the post past the diving JCU keeper for a 2-0 lead in the 34th minute. 

Looking at the half as a whole, the Owls largely controlled the play, outshooting the hosts, 8-1. But the youthful Blue Streaks refused to yield. 

Off a free kick early in the second half, Zalan Onodi sent in a shot on goal but unfortunately right at the Kenyon goalie. 

In the 57th minute, the Blue Streaks got a goal back. JCU won a 50/50 ball and played the ball forward. Rafa De La Barrera slyly tapped a pass behind the Kenyon back line, and Luka Pranjeta chased it down. The senior brought the ball around the keeper and buried the ball into the open net to halve the lead. The goal marked the first goal allowed by the Owls since September 19, ending a four-game streak of clean sheets. 

Invigorated, the Blue Streaks kept attacking the Owls, and Kenyon's backline started to show some cracks in the wall. A pair of offsides calls thwarted the Blue Streaks until a call went JCU's way in the 69th minute.

A yellow card on Kenyon resulted in a JCU free kick. For JCU, De La Barrera sent in a picture-perfect kick, which Noah Schmidt met with his head. Schmidt's header found twine, much to the shock of the Owls. 

The teams traded possessions and chances, with plenty of deep sighs coming from both sidelines after missed opportunities. While the Owls entered as the favorites, the Blue Streaks didn't play like the underdog, hanging right with the Owls.

With eight minutes left, the Blue Streaks got a marvelous opportunity with a Pranjeta pass to De La Barrera. But fate did not go JCU's way, as the hosts did not get what might have been a PK call in the box. 

But Kenyon found a late tally. In the 84th minute, Luca Bilotto sent a nice pass up to Ethan Castaneda. The Miami, Florida native rocketed a left-footer top shelf for the go-ahead goal.

In the late stages of the match, JCU scrambled trying to find a tying tally, but the visitors fended off all challenges. 

Next Up
The Blue Streaks hit the road on Saturday, heading to Ohio Wesleyan for a 7 pm contest to continue NCAC play. 
Print Friendly Version

Sponsors