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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
Logan Penton vs. Kenyon
Maddie Maselko
Logan Penton tallied an assist on Nick Felician's goal. 
2
Winner Kenyon KEN (2-0-0, 0-0-0)
1
John Carroll JCU (1-1-0, 0-0-0)
Winner
Kenyon KEN
(2-0-0, 0-0-0)
2
Final
1
John Carroll JCU
(1-1-0, 0-0-0)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Kenyon KEN 1 1 2
John Carroll JCU 1 0 1

Game Recap: Men's Soccer | | JCUSID

In a War of Top 20 Teams, JCU Men's Soccer Comes Up Just Short Against Kenyon

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS – If you're a Division III soccer fan, tonight may have just been the game you were looking for. 

If you're a John Carroll fan, you would have loved to see a different result, but it was an outstanding effort by the boys on the field.

The second game of the 2022 season proved to be a hard-fought, all-out war between two top 20 teams. The No. 17 Kenyon College Owls looked for vengeance at Don Shula Stadium after the No. 16 John Carroll Blue Streaks defeated Kenyon at their place last year. The Owls got it with a 2-1 win. 

The match started far short of ideal for John Carroll.

Kenyon pinched the center of the JCU backline, and the Blue Streaks were forced to be physical to prevent a free chance against the goalkeeper. So, the referee assessed a yellow card in the box, and thus a penalty kick for the Owls.

Kenyon's All-American midfielder Scott Upton didn't miss his chance, striking it home with a strong swing of his foot. And just seconds into the battle of two top 20 teams, the visitors had the upper hand.

But not for long.

The Blue Streaks immediately came out on the attack, unbowed by the early setback. JCU had some promising chances, leading up to the breakthrough in the 7th minute. Ben Brucken went to work on the right side near the corner and passed it down to Logan Penton. The Vermillion native immediately fired in a strong centering pass. Nick Felician was right where he needed to be, heading the ball into the top left corner of the net. 

The scoring slowed but the action did not. The teams played quite physically, with yellow cards flowing in early and often. The Blue Streaks and Owls combined for a total of six yellow cards at the halfway point.

In the opening frame both teams managed three shots on goal in this heated matchup.

Just a couple minutes into the second half, the Owls penetrated the Blue Streaks' defense. Sebastian Gaese sent forward a perfect through ball to Sam Carson. The senior chased down the ball and netted it in for the lead. 

The Blue Streaks went on the offensive again in response to the early setback. But even the Blue Streaks' aggressiveness could not translate opportunities into goals.

Jake Vogrin needed to stand strong in the 62nd minute, and was up to the task. But so was Kenyons' keeper Jack Pedreschi, who turned away a promising Nicholas Graeca shot in the 71st minute. John Carroll threatened again with a pair of corners in the 72nd and 73rd minutes. 

In the 77th minute, a free kick by Logan Penton was thwarted by Kenyon's defense. Steven Samuelson had a header on the ensuing corner, but again Kenyon was tough to the onslaught. 

In the 82nd minute, the Owls countered with some offense, but a corner did not lead to a goal. John Carroll increased the tempo on offense, looking for a chink in the armor of Kenyon's defense. As Felician poked and prodded, sending one shot just over the crossbar and another right at the keeper. Just before the final minute of play, Felician rocketed a shot top-center that the keeper needed to toss away in order to save the game. 

Despite the defeat, a number of Blue Streaks played an excellent game. Izac Coleman enjoyed a standout performance, helping to push the pace from the backline to the front. And every time Felician touched the ball, the feeling that something special would happen increased immensely throughout the hearts of the Carroll faithful. 

The Blue Streaks could not get the equalizer, but John Carroll played incredible well down the stretch and has plenty to be proud.

John Carroll tallied 8 shots on goal to Kenyon's five. The fouls were close to even with JCU just ahead, 14-13. The teams combined for a very rare 11 yellow cards, with one red for Kenyon.

The Blue Streaks will be back in action next Thursday, heading to face The College of Wooster. 
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