Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
Patrick Koenig at Mary Washington
Dale Armbruster
John Carroll allowed a goal with less than a minute left in a heartbreaking loss.
2
John Carroll JCUM (16-6-2)
3
Winner Mary Washington UMW (18-1-2)
John Carroll JCUM
(16-6-2)
2
Final
3
Mary Washington UMW
(18-1-2)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
John Carroll JCUM 1 1 2
Mary Washington UMW 1 2 3

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

Journey Heartachingly Ends in Second Round of NCAA Tournament for Men's Soccer

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. --  Sunday afternoon, John Carroll Men's Soccer would head into another eventful matchup as they prepared for one of their biggest tests of the season yet.

After a tight 1-0 victory on Saturday over St. Mary's College (MD), the Blue Streaks suited up for what they knew would be a true battle. With both teams coming away with wins too close for comfort in the first round, a highly anticipated contest awaited.

The University of Mary Washington, the #2 ranked team in the country, looked to defend their Battleground to advance to the Sweet 16 for yet another year, looking to smash the glass ceiling coming off of a final four finish last season.

John Carroll, on the other hand, had nothing to lose and everything to gain. A topsy-turvy tail end of the season would give them a last-ditch opportunity at the national tournament. Coming up against a top team in the country on their home turf, Wenzler's Warriors were fully anticipating the trial of a lifetime. Leaving everything on the field was a top priority for the evening, and making sure that if they went down, they were not to go down without a fight. The team quickly shifted from a joyful, celebratory mood to a dialed-in, intense one overnight, looking to take everything this match has to offer.

Despite the blood, sweat, and tears the Blue Streaks would pour into this match, the tides would not turn their way, and Mary Washington would win it in dramatic fashion with a 3-2 win coming in the dying embers of the contest.

John Carroll would move back to a three-back formation for this one after the recent bunch of games was played in a 4-4-2, matching things up from a personnel perspective nicely. Meanwhile, Mary Washington would stay in their quintessential 3-5-2, playing through their powerhouse strike partnership of Carter Berg and reigning USC All-American Josh Kirtland. The two have combined for 28 goals and 18 assists counting tonight's contest, and would add even more pressure to the Blue Streaks' back line with Daniel Kalic's absence from the lineup after picking up an injury in the last match. Short and sweet, JCU had their work cut out for them.

A chilly yet sunny afternoon at the Battleground Athletic Complex would add to the feelings of what would turn out to be an instant classic in the Round of 32. A bubbly crowd, small but energized, lined the bleachers in high spirits. Little did they know the beautiful war they were about to immerse themselves in for the next two hours.

Similar to Saturday's endeavors, the opening minutes were filled with exciting end-to-end action from both attacking fronts. Within the first five minutes, Mary Washington would already test the waters of John Carroll's reformed back line, penetrating the 18-yard box but their chances were promptly thwarted by sophomore keeper Brenden Moher.

A few minutes later, the Blue Streaks evened the playing field with a couple of solid chances, Jack Foht dragging one wide left from an improbable angle and getting another blocked a few minutes later. Things quickly shifted back to the hosts' favor as a quick offensive transition brought them in front in the 17th minute.

With a quick win in possession, the Eagles charged through the center of the pitch as John Carroll desperately looked to track back. As Nelsar Castillo dashed right down the gullet of the Blue Streaks, he would look to his right and play a wonderfully weighted through ball to Carter Berg, with a perfectly timed run vanishing out of the sight of John Carroll defenders and placing a lovely left-footed finish in the bottom right corner.

Down rather early, JCU quickly put their foot down and began to move forward. Five minutes later, the Blue Streaks would have their leveler. Building from the back, junior midfielder Nicholas Graeca found the feet of Jaden Wright. Receiving it just past the midfield line, Wright dusted a handful of defenders down the right hand flank before confidently striking an outside of the foot shot into the bottom corner. A much needed equalizer for the visitors, and it was game on from there.

Mary Washington responded in kind with a remarkably prompt reply straight from the kickoff, but Brenden Moher would come up with a nice save. The Eagles maintained heavy offensive pressure from there with a handful of chances one after another, each being thrown out with an especially brilliant effort from the center back Steven Samuelson. With the impending momentum swing, John Carroll quickly began emphasizing the physical game. The Blue Streaks would bring in the bruiser mentality now, which managed to throw the home team off of their equilibrium quite a bit. Things began to get chippy, but the halftime whistle would be the vessel needed for both sides to get their acts together before the second half—things all level going into the break.

Despite the ongoing physical war on the pitch, the huddle at halftime was a rather calm one. "We've got them right where we want them," said Head Coach Dejan Mladenović '06. "Whoever comes out of this half as the more composed team is winning this game, play smart."

The second half began with a much more level-headed outlook on both sides of the coin for the opening minutes, that is before Brenden Swann would mistime a challenge and get what was surprisingly the first booking of the contest (not a terrible foul, but he was warned before half of his accumulating fouls). The straw (although few of them at this point) that would break the camel's back for Mary Washington's commitment to the physical game.

The oncoming minutes became an onslaught for the John Carroll attack, bringing themselves to the table with chance after chance at goal, with Jaden Wright leading the charge. With so much pressure applied, another hero for Mary Washington arose with the junior goalkeeper Freddy Rogers holding down the fort. The Wycombe-native, although not called to action as much from a quantitative sense throughout the weekend, certainly stepped up when he was needed. The Englishman's blend of height and athleticism guided the Eagles out of some tough defensive situations, and his leadership and composure from the back remained consistent for his 180 minutes on the pitch.

The Eagles' assurance to bend but not break was brilliantly done, and the fruits of their labor were awarded in the 73rd minute of play. Through what can only be described as a sequence of pure chaos, midfielders Gabe Francesconi and Juan Vargas would link up to find the midfielder Diego Guzman, who drifted across the box and placed a ball into the bottom corner. An absolutely massive glimpse of hope for the Eagles to pull ahead.

It was quite the short-lived era of bliss, however, as just 32 seconds later, the Blue Streaks rallied forward and played a service into the center of the box. As the Mary Washington defender jumped into the action, a deflection off of his arm forced the official to point to the penalty spot. It would be the junior Nicholas Graeca under it, and after a heavy moment of pondering on the spot, Graeca tucked his strike into the bottom right corner before rushing to the corner for an epic front flip celebration with his teammates. A game taking years off of the lives of its spectators was now showing 2-2 on the scoresheet.

To say that the last minutes of this match were a blur is quite the understatement. Tensions only elevated in all layers of the game as Mary Washington began to truly settle into the chaos, and John Carroll was hungry for more. A few more scares pushed defensive lines to their limit, screaming matches commenced, and those taking it all in could only wonder in awe what the final stages of this contest ought to be.

Approaching the final sixty seconds, Mary Washington made one final tread down the field. A great build in and around the box made for a stellar chance from the All-American Josh Kirkland. His effort ended up being saved by Brenden Moher once again, who was forced to make some great stops towards the end of the match. The Eagles whipped the corner in, and once again, it was pandemonium in the box before who other than Josh Kirkland found his partner in crime Carter Berg for a goal to pull forward with just 44 measly seconds remaining on the clock for John Carroll. Anarchy flooded the sideline and corner as Mary Washington had just grabbed one of the most crucial goals in the program's history.

With 44 seconds of clearances and growing excitement, the final whistle blew, and Mary Washington had pulled off a stupendous win on their home grounds to advance to the Sweet 16. The midfield line would serve as a border of two completely different schemes of emotion—the Eagles soaring to new heights with great levels of ecstasy, while John Carroll found themselves winded in defeat, the manner of which could not be any more soul-crushing.

The Blue Streaks had certainly left it all out on the pitch. This was not a game of "what-ifs" and hypotheticals; the visitors had maximized each and every opportunity in front of them. There was no "if this mistake didn't happen" or "if only we had capitalized on this chance," but only a tough reflection on an excellently played match with a grueling outcome. John Carroll was a team that was one of the last to be selected into the tournament as an at-large, yet there they were after hanging with the second best team in the country on their home turf after playing a game just 24 hours earlier. JCU had a response for everything Mary Washington put on the table, but unfortunately there was simply no time to find one with the last blow the Eagles put onto them. A heartbreaking end to a remarkable season of excitement, bliss, and ever changing emotion.

But of course, there is simply no discrediting Mary Washington today. Although John Carroll may have won in the physical game and their hunger arguably more present, Mary Washington's unity as a team is what sets them above the rest.

The soccer-IQ that the Eagles possess is simply in another realm of existence when compared to other programs throughout the country. With each attacking buildup, with each tough situation, their squad prevailed. Every player on the pitch seemed to know exactly where the other ten were at all times; the dynamic of their runs, the well-oiled machine that was their offensive progression, it was a beautiful sight to see. The Blue Streaks may not have gotten a result from the afternoon, but there's no denying that this match had every characteristic of an instant classic humanly possible.

The Eagles will advance to the Sweet 16 to take on Washington College, meanwhile the Blue Streaks' phenomenal run comes to a tragic end.

Wenzler's Warriors finish their season with a 14-6-2 record, and have a long list of accomplishments to be proud of and cherish for a very long time. To all who have supported this team through thick and thin, a sincere thank you from the bottom of our hearts here at John Carroll men's soccer.

An off-season of wonder and hard work awaits the squad, looking forward to coming back stronger than ever in 2024.
Print Friendly Version

Sponsors