GAMBIER, Ohio – Coming off of two consecutive scoreless losses in the NCAC, the John Carroll Men's Soccer program continued their challenging stretch of conference games on Saturday afternoon as they traveled to south to take on Kenyon College, looking to get their first North Coast campaign back to on track against one of the most historic programs in the conference's history.
Despite this being John Carroll's first year in a new environment, they are no strangers to Kenyon, coming into this one with an even 11-11 record, playing them in every season dating all the way back to 2017 excluding the spring COVID season. Recent memory has seen mixed results, as Kenyon took home wins in 2022 and 2024, while John Carroll had a historic 4-0 win in Gambier in 2023, taking down the Owls at a time they had made it to #5 in the country.
Above everything else, this season's matchup would look different due to the growing pains both teams had been suffering throughout the year; two historic programs graduating a massive group of talented, key components now pivoting to the next step in their journey. To everyone's surprise, the Owls had yet to get a win in NCAC play through their first three matches, and had not won at home since a 2-1 win over #21 Franklin and Marshall all the way back on September 7th.
After a fierce battle from Mavec Field, a late equalizer from the Owls prevented disaster for the home team on Senior Day, as the all-time record remaining even with the teams notching a 1-1 draw.
Looking to steer the ship back in the right direction, the Blue Streaks switched up their formation for this afternoon, making some tactical adjustments that saw sophomore Sava Crnjak make his first career start up top alongside Dylan Halm.
The game started fast, as straight off the kickoff, the Blue Streaks sent a ball up the pitch which in turn drew a foul, and the Blue Streaks already caused some problems off of the free kick. In return, the Owls sent the ball right back up the pitch, getting an initial shot that forced a save out of Owen Szucs and followed up with a big across the middle, just hitting off of the wrong part of Lucas de Alarcon's boot and over the bar.
The game burst wide open from there with the Owls pouncing on their opportunities to control the tempo of the match, sending in a flurry of crosses early on to keep the Blue Streaks on their toes. John Carroll got the occasional counter, but their direct style of play prohibited a lot of time on the ball.
Over the first quarter of the match, Kenyon began to take more and more control, lunging towards goal with every chance they got. In the 15th minute, a set piece allowed for a cheeky chip over the wall for Danny Kankam, who infiltrated the 18-yard box before his shot was blocked in traffic.
Although it did not translate to a lot of chances, the Owls continued to dominate possession, but John Carroll slowly climbed their way back, breaking up buildups with more and more frequency. As halftime creeped closer and closer, both teams were looking for a chance to get ahead before the break. Deki's Army found that solution with just 47 seconds left—in impeccably unorthodox fashion.
With one more push forward, sophomore defender Patrick Bohan prepared to send one of his signature long throws towards the 18-yard box to an influx of Blue Streaks making their way into the box.
Bohan sent the ball flying over the heads of players from both sides. As Kenyon attempted to launch the ball back down the pitch to evade any danger, sophomore Matt Hribar leapt in the way of it, the ball ricocheting off of his boot as he jumped sideways, redirecting the ball over the head of goalkeeper Dominic Pratt and into the back of the net. Celebrations broke out, paralleled levels of both joy and confusion.
John Carroll got one more good chance as the final seconds ticked away, as freshmen Rafa De La Barrera ripped a shot from 20 yards out, met with a save from Dominic Pratt and the halftime whistle.
Kenyon had the game within their grasp for a majority of the first half, but John Carroll kept their heads down and worked. With some determination and a "sprinkle" of luck, they found themselves ahead despite this.
Both teams came out of the second half with a pep in their step, but the Owls clearly had some haste behind their play, trying to get themselves back on an even playing field. Not long into the second half, Kenyon began their push.
In the 53rd minute, Kenyon quickly built off a counter attacking chance, the ball finding the foot of Lucas de Alarcon. The sophomore attacker took the ball all the way down to the opposite end, but some great recovery defending from Noah Schmidt and Louis Roseberry kept him off the scoresheet.
Just two minutes later, junior Robert Little entered the area, having a crack at goal that was just dragged right off the back post.
In the 60th minute, another scare hit the Blue Streaks, with a long throw getting tapped forward to Johnny Hunwick, whose effort also ended up going wide.
John Carroll needed to get themselves sorted out, while Kenyon's momentum was building exponentially, but their failure to capitalize on a chance up to this point was clearly starting to catch up to them.
The Owls continued their onslaught in their attacking third, but the Blue Streaks continued to bend, not break. Although John Carroll was still not possessing the ball as much, they seemed to be getting more and more confident in their reactive strategy.
Through the last half hour of the match, both offenses began to slow down for a good chunk of the second half, getting some time in proximity to the goal, but not testing one another.
As the dying embers of the match came about, Kenyon turned it into full gear, and in the 85th minute, they found their leveler. On a slow progression down the right hand flank, a cross towards the near post was poked away by Maurio Powell. The freshman was off-balance and could get minimal power behind the ball, only getting it as far as Isaac Cortez. Cortez took a touch towards his left and guided the ball perfectly into the bottom left corner, driving a dagger through the Blue Streaks, their hopes for three points vanishing in an instant.
The Owls got a few more looks before the final whistle, but nothing too menacing and the final whistle blew with the score level. The Blue Streaks will take the result, but will definitely be a match that leaves a sour taste in their mouths. The Owls remain on the hunt to get their first conference win of the season.
Next Up
After a two-game away spell, the Blue Streaks will return to Don Shula Stadium for another must-win match against Ohio Wesleyan University. Kickoff set for 7:05 p.m. with the match set for broadcast on Rock Entertainment Sports Network (RESN).
