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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
Dante Rajaie file photo
Jose Figueroa
Dante Rajaie
1
John Carroll JCU (7-7-4, 3-2-2)
1
Wittenberg WIT (7-4-6, 0-4-3)
John Carroll JCU
(7-7-4, 3-2-2)
1
Final
1
Wittenberg WIT
(7-4-6, 0-4-3)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
John Carroll JCU 0 1 1
Wittenberg WIT 0 1 1

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

Blue Streaks Split Points in Penultimate NCAC Match

Men's Soccer heads into drama-filled final matchday on Saturday

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – After two crucial wins in the back half of North Coast Athletic Conference action, the John Carroll Blue Streaks Men's Soccer program returned to action for their second match in a two-game road spell—another long day trip as they traveled down to southern Ohio to take on Wittenberg University.

With things getting tighter for the top four spots in the conference, another huge result was needed to push forward into their final match against nationally-ranked Denison. It would be a challenging circumstance, but John Carroll has seemed up for the battle in recent memory. After only winning one match in an eight-game span, Deki's Army smashed the glass ceiling with two consecutive 3-1 wins and a fourth-place spot in the conference. The boys were thriving, and needed a result before coming back home one final time.

Although it was not entirely optimal, the Blue Streaks scraped by with a 1-1 draw against the Tigers, scoring with 13 minutes on the clock to keep their fourth place position in the table.

As fall weather (at least what Ohio would consider to be) creeps in all around the state, both teams had one massive obstacle to take on before even delving into the tactics of one another—torrential rain worsening conditions to add to the already sharply cold climate.

Safe to say that the climate took some adjusting to, so much so that the first half of action yielded very little offensive action from both teams. Competition was fierce, possession was end-to-end, but only five shots were recorded between the two teams, with the most menacing chance coming from Andrew Massucci in the 23rd minute, firing a shot at the near post that struck the post and forced a touch from goalkeeper Sam Nitzberg.

In the second half, however, things picked up, and the Tigers came out with a renewed sense of energy that eventually got them on the scoresheet.

Off of a buildup on the left-hand side of the pitch, Wittenberg's Ian Sergent slotted a ball through to Casey Meltzer. Full steam ahead, Meltzer beat a rushing Owen Szucs to the ball, and Meltzer tapped it by the grasps of the keeper as it rolled in to open the scoring. Celebrations ensued in the rain as the St. Ignatius graduate tallied on his second goal of the season against a handful of former teammates.

Although going down a goal was surely a net negative, this opened the floodgates for the Blue Streaks to unlock their full potential.

Just two minutes later, John Carroll pushed forward looking for an immediate equalizer. Racing into the box, sophomore Dylan Halm took a shot that yielded a block, but redirected for Andrew Massucci crashing into the box, lacing one towards the bottom left corner that forced a save from the keeper. The seeds were planted for a bigtime momentum shift, and the Blue and Gold were ready to take advantage.

Just twenty minutes later, the Blue Streaks found their leveler. As their tireless play continued and conditions began to worsen, the inclement weather worked to their advantage as a ball in towards the six yard box was fumbled by the Tiger keeper, opening to door for freshman midfielder Dante Rajaie to pounce onto it and find the back of the net, securing his second goal in three games.

The Blue Streaks nearly doubled down 30 seconds later, with Dylan Halm sprinting down the left hand side and squaring it to Andrew Massucci, turning towards goal and trying a shot that was smothered by a pair of Wittenberg players with an incredible last-ditch effort. Off the corner, the Blue Streaks had a good look on the corner, another scary shot block and out for a second corner kick.

John Carroll kept possession in and around the 18 yard box before getting yet another deflection for a corner, chomping at the bit and keeping the pressure. Although no goal was found, the Tigers began to show some weakness.

The visitors kept their foot on the gas, getting some looks at goal but nothing too dangerous until the final 30 seconds, where Dante Rajaie found the ball in the box and tried a shot but was once again met with an incredible defensive play from Wittenberg. The last 30 seconds were spent with some changes in possession, and the final whistle blew with the draw set in stone.

Heading into the final matchweek, tensions are high in the NCAC, as six of the nine teams in the conference are still in play for a postseason tournament spot, with John Carroll tied with 11 points alongside Ohio Wesleyan, but having the advantage in the head-to-head game. DePauw leads the conference with 15 points, Denison right behind with 14, and The College of Wooster sets in with 12. Kenyon sits right behind the top five with 9 points, getting a huge 4-0 win over Wooster.

Next Up
With the season on the line, the Blue Streaks return home for their final match of the season against #15 Denison University, with major tournament implications to be settled against one of the nations' finest programs. Kickoff is set for 1:05 p.m., with the broadcast set to air on Rock Entertainment Sports Network.
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