Cardinals Extend Unbeaten Streak to Six Games
Junior goalkeeper Jack Long extended his clean sheet streak to six games following a 0-0 draw to #14 Mary Washington.
Image courtesy of Catholicathletics.com
By Sarah Beretich
A 4-game winning streak turned to five as CUA men’s soccer shut out the Dickinson Red Devils 1-0 on the road this past Saturday, September 14th. Catholic’s steady season start has drawn the gaze of several voters in the d3soccer.com Division III Top 25 Poll and the team is ranked #8 in United Soccer Coaches Mid-Atlantic Region Poll.
Last seasons, the Cardinals went 11-6-1 (5-1-1) and progressed to conference championships, where they lost 1-0 to Elizabethtown.
After dropping the first game of the season to nationally ranked Gettysburg, the Cardinals cleaned up for their next game, initiating a 5-game shutout winning streak. Maintaining the clean sheet streak is junior goalkeeper Jack Long, who was named Landmark Conference Defensive Athlete of the Week following Saturday’s game.
Scoring on a penalty kick by Catholic’s Ben Alexander, the Cardinals brought what would remain the final score to 1-0 by the 15-minute mark. Despite matching in corner kicks throughout both periods, Catholic outshot Dickinson 11-8, with sophomore midfielder Paul Egan leading the group at 3 shots.
Red Devil George Ladner let out some aggression on Catholic’s sophomore Darius Siahpoosh, attempting to delay his play and testing what had previously been a silent referee. The penalty kick, made by Alexander, was nearly blocked by Dickinson sophomore goalkeeper John Baney but ultimately found the back of the net.
The game proved to be a demanding and energetic event for the two teams. To maintain the initial shut out, the Cardinals had to focus on constant physical and mental toughness for the entire 90 minutes, especially with defense. Coach Travis Beauchamp, who has lead the Cardinals to three Landmark Conference Championships, said that Dickinson was a great match for Catholic.
“The Dickinson match was a really good test for us. They are a good team that play in a very competitive conference so it was great to get the win.,” said Beauchamp. “Our guys really had to fight hard toward the end of the match to keep them scoreless.”
Overall, the Cardinals kept their composure throughout the game, fending off some aggressive plays by Dickinson and maintaining that initial lead. According to Ford, continued possession of the ball and communication between players was key to Catholic’s success.
“All in all I think we played really well. A 1-0 lead is a very difficult lead but we worked hard and smart to keep it,” said Ford. The senior center back also said that defense was under exceptional pressure from the Red Devils, saying that the center backs “had to really use our communication to move the back line up to catch them offsides or, if they were onsides, we had to run them off the ball and stop the attack.”
This game and the team’s current tendency for shutouts gives the Cardinals a glimpse into the hopeful future of the season, particularly for Coach Beauchamp, who says, “it’s these kinds of tests that we think will help us prepare for the conference schedule coming up.”
The Cardinals hosted fourteenth ranked Mary Washington at Carlini Field on Wednesday, September 18th. The Catholic team extended its clean sheet streak to 6 as the two teams came to a 0-0 draw after two overtime periods. CUA outshout the Eagles 15-7 in the contest and Long saved the lone shot that was on the net.
Catholic Men’s Soccer return home for the next two games, playing Mary Washington on Wednesday, September 15th and Lynchburg on Saturday, September 21st. Cardinals take to the road for their first conference game at Scranton on Saturday, October 28th.
