Men’s Soccer Matchday Preview: John Carroll University vs. Heidelberg University

10/23/2024 3:09:00 PM | By: Gianluca DiGiacomo, Staff Writer

The Blue Streaks will celebrate the legacy of the late Chris Wenzler '90 at today's game.

Blue Streaks Prepare for Penultimate Home Bout with Student Princes

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS – Back at home for their penultimate home match in the Ohio Athletic Conference, the John Carroll Blue Streaks lace their boots for another battle at Don Shula Stadium, preparing to take on the Student Princes of Heidelberg University.

With a stellar 4-1 record in conference action with some close, tireless affairs, the Blue Streaks' season is coming down to the wire with some other heavy hitters for tournament seeding and the future of the program's NCAA Tournament hopes.

Wednesday's game not only is held to showcase some great soccer action, but also to commemorate a John Carroll Athletics pioneer and legend, Christopher Wenzler '90 and his family. A game with stakes that go far beyond a record or any sort of statistics, the Wenzler family has done tremendous work for John Carroll through academics, their endless support, and holding a name that will be a means of inspiration for years to come.

Meet the Opposition: Heidelberg University Student Princes

Form
It has been a rough tenure for the Student Princes to date, with a record of 0-12-1 to show for with the back half of OAC play still in front of them. 0-5 in conference play, it has been a nonstop onslaught of offense for opponents; dropping 8-0 losses to Wilmington and Ohio Northern respectively, a 4-0 loss to Capital, a 2-0 loss to Marietta, and a 10-0 loss to Mount Union this past weekend.

The squad's draw came early in non-conference action, tying Defiance College 2-2 in Tiffin. Since then, it has been a difficult road to getting back on track, aiming to turn their luck around in an improbable contest on John Carroll turf.

Team Style/Ones to Watch
Despite the team's shortcomings so far this season, it does not stop the Student Princes from playing all of their opponents up front. For many teams in the Ohio Athletic Conference, it is instinctual to park the bus and hope for the best when playing a tough opponent, but the Student Princes play a much more attractive brand in that regard.

With only three goals on the year, the likes of Zane Paul, Hussein Faraj, and Brenden Turner have been primary sources of offensive production, with Faraj frontrunning in the quantitative side of things with 11 shots on the year.

In regards to Spell's consistent pieces, only three players in Zachary Clark, Kaiden Reed, and Brenden Turner are the only players to start in all 13 matches so far, with Zachary Clark leading the charge in minutes with 1,066 to date.

Your John Carroll Blue Streaks

Form
Back at Don Shula Stadium for the Wenzler Warrior game, the Blue Streaks currently hold a record of 10-3-2, with a 4-1 OAC record. Despite much conference play going their way, each of John Carroll's OAC victories have come with a one-goal difference, and Deki's Army is hungry to change that tonight. The team's conference record was only marred to a 2-0 loss to Mount Union in Alliance.

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 54-18-9 record to date. He was inducted into the JCU Athletic Hall of Fame last season for his playing career.

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
With the Blue Streaks' talent pool on all three levels of the pitch, the combinations have been seemingly endless this year, with only three players starting in every match this season. Staying in their typical 4-3-3 throughout the season, the team blends standard team play with maximizing their individual brilliance.

No single player has dominated the ranks on the offensive side of things, with six players accumulating six points or more on the 23 goals the Blue Streaks have scored this year. Fifth-year attacker Jaden Wright leads the change this season, scoring four goals and assisting three in his 14 games for the 2024 campaign. Wright continues to possess his clutch gene this year, with three of his four goals being gamewinners, two of which were the only goals in a 1-0 win (Carnegie Mellon, Baldwin Wallace).

Senior captain Nicholas Graeca holds the engine role on a tireless Blue Streaks squad, holding crucial roles in both offensive and defensive roles on the pitch. From his confidence on the ball to a newfound sense of composure, Graeca has tallied two goals and has assisted four more on the year.

First-year Dylan Halm also leads the change on the attacking end, scoring four goals on the year, scoring the first goal of the season against Oberlin, a brace against Stockton, and a game-winner over Capital University. Coming from the bench or being part of the starting lineup, Halm has been in serious contention for Freshmen of the Year.

Matchup History
Heading into their 2024 matchup, the John Carroll Blue Streaks hold a record of 29-9-5 over the Student Princes in all competitions.

Here are some quick facts about the matchup:

The Blue Streaks have won the last six contests between the two teams, only allowing one goal within that span
The two sides have faced off in the OAC Tournament seven different times, and the Blue Streaks are 3-4 in each of those matches; the most recent being a 5-4 loss to the Student Princes in 2014
John Carroll holds a better record away from home against Heidelberg (17-2-1) than they do at Don Shula Stadium (12-6-4)
Heidelberg's last win over John Carroll comes back in 2017 with a 3-2 victory; the Student Princes were ranked #20 in the nation at that time
The 2014 postseason contest was the last time Heidelberg defeated John Carroll at Don Shula Stadium.

Up Next
The Blue Streaks will travel down to southern Ohio this Saturday to take on Wilmington College, kickoff set for 7 pm.

The Student Princes will head back home on Saturday to face Muskingum University, kickoff also at 7 p.m. from Hoernemann Stadium in Tiffin.

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 jcusports.com and OAC TV.

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