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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
JCU at Otterbein MSOC
Dale Armbruster
The Blue Streaks put up a great fight, but penalty kicks dealt a tough loss to JCU in the OAC Semifinal.
0
John Carroll JCU (13-5-2, 6-3-0)
0
Otterbein OTT (12-2-4, 8-0-1)
John Carroll JCU
(13-5-2, 6-3-0)
0
Final
0
Otterbein OTT
(12-2-4, 8-0-1)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 OT 1 OT 2 OT 3 F
John Carroll JCU 0 0 0 0 0 0
Otterbein OTT 0 0 0 0 0 0

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

Men's Soccer Loses at Otterbein in Heartwrenching PKs Defeat

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – Tonight, John Carroll Men's Soccer traveled down to Westerville, Ohio for the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament Semifinal matchup. The Blue Streaks were prepared for another elimination contest tonight, seething for vengeance as they would be prepared for an all-out war against Otterbein University. A matchup written in the stars, as the two sides have had a long, long history in recent memory.

Turning back the clock to last season, after a successful 2-0 win in the regular season, John Carroll would win their OAC Semifinal match 2-1 after overtime, courtesy of a Michael Kelly goal with 8:51 to go in the second OT period in his second game back.

In 2021, a golden goal from Benjamin Hryszko would win John Carroll the OAC Championship early in overtime and win the Blue Streaks their fourth consecutive season tournament conquest.

In 2019, JCU would beat Otterbein 1-0 in the OAC Championship game with a goal thirteen minutes in from Mario Abou-Mitri, coming three weeks after a 2-1 win in overtime.

Before this season, Otterbein's last victory over the Blue Streaks came back in 2017, with a 2-1 win in overtime. Meanwhile, their last win at Don Shula Stadium came all the way back in 2004.

This year, the Cardinals wanted to change the story.

Otterbein set the tone in the middle of conference play, Carter Ely scoring a goal from a long ball in the 83rd minute to break the dry spell in University Heights, being the first stone moved for John Carroll's first three-game losing streak in conference play since 2010.

Tonight, Otterbein would put the season series to rest, advancing to the OAC final on Saturday after a 4-3 win on penalty kicks.

After John Carroll advanced from the quarterfinals in a thrilling overtime win with a goal scored with 19 seconds on the clock, the Blue Streaks were back to a ravenous morale. A morale that one may argue hasn't been seen since towards the beginning of the season. It was a squad reborn for Wenzler's Warriors, still fighting for a potential sixth consecutive OAC Tournament Championship.

With an intense display from both sides in the pregame and a leveling bench to support the starters upon introductions, both teams were ready to go on a chilly evening in Memorial Stadium.
Things got underway, both teams scrambling to feel each other out and implement a proper means of attack. John Carroll and Otterbein would both come out in rudimentary 4-4-2 shape, both looking to maximize their current squads. Critical to note that the Cardinals would lineup with two crucial players sidelined with injuries tonight in Jayden Lunsford and Nick Isaac.

Through the opening minutes, the swinging pendulum of momentum was slowly but surely starting to favor John Carroll. Great progression through the center of the park, well-timed pressure on the Cardinals attempting to work within their own defensive third, and some stellar work ethic all around gave John Carroll a slight edge over the Cardinals. Otterbein would let the game come to them, opting for a more conservative approach to the possession game and heavily utilizing the long ball to find the great strike partnership of Carter Ely and Will Isaac.

Some good looks were abound for John Carroll with the likes of Jack Foht, Brenden Swann, and Jaden Wright all getting some looks towards goal. Otterbein would get some stellar shots off as well, testing the waters and keeping the keeper Brenden Moher on his toes.

Despite plenty of chaos in the first half of play, the halftime whistle blew, both teams scoreless.

Similar scenes from the second half from both sides as well, with most of the game being played in heavy strife for possession and progression, with a few scares for the respective back lines scattered about. John Carroll would have solid chances from the likes of Jack Foht and Hayden Haffner, but once again  just struggled to find a proper end product. Overtime was inbound in Westerville.

The twenty minutes of overtime remained a standstill, with one slightly scary chance from JCU just skimming across the face of goal and out of bounds with two minutes to go in the second period of overtime. An infatuating contest of technicality and tactical excellence now rested in the fate of the dreaded penalty kicks.

Patrick Koenig's first strike of the ball would fly over the net. Following this, each team's next three penalty kicks would find the back of the net. Casey Thompson would come up with a huge save with Brenden Swann's strike, and a shot just out of reach of the outstretched glove of Brenden Moher would seal John Carroll's fate in the end. Otterbein had finally had their well-deserved revenge over the Blue Streaks, and ticket their way to an OAC Championship match against Ohio Northern on Saturday back in Westerville.

Meanwhile for the Blue Streaks, the chapter may not be over for Wenzler's Warriors. Despite the loss, John Carroll still holds a solid case for an at-large bid in the NCAA Division III national tournament. Nothing is for certain as it stands, and John Carroll will be watching intently on Monday afternoon for the tournament drawing.
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