Men’s Soccer Remains Undefeated After Draw Against Washington & Lee
Photo by Susie Blanchard.
By Griffin Cappiello
Last Saturday, the #19 Catholic Cardinals, hoping to extend their undefeated season, faced off against the Washington & Lee Generals at Carlini Field.
The game began rather slowly; there was little action for either team inside the first ten minutes. In the fourteenth minute, Jack Travis went down in the box after minimal contact from junior Corey Magro. Magro was shown a yellow card, and Washington & Lee were awarded a penalty kick. Willy Hall converted the kick from the spot, giving the Generals a 1-0 lead.
Following the goal, the momentum shifted in favor of the Cardinals, with a header by senior Holden Woodings that went over the bar, a free kick by junior Seth Michalak that also went over, and a Catholic corner kick each coming in rapid succession.
In the twenty-fourth minute, the Cardinals found the back of the net. Junior Azaria Tewodros got on the end of a through ball and passed it to Woodings, whose finish tied the game for the Cardinals.
Anthony Careccia was shown a yellow card in the twenty-seventh minute after he hit Tewodros as he went up for a header. Catholic had two chances before the end of the half; Woodings nearly found his second goal of the match after he was played through by junior Donik Elshani, and a long free kick by sophomore Ellington Andrews was almost converted by junior Ryan Kuegler. The Generals had several corner kicks right before the end of the first half, but were unable to create any serious scoring threats.
Coming out of halftime, the Cardinals continued their pressure, hoping to find the back of the net. In the fifty-third minute, Woodings dribbled past two defenders to take a shot on goal, which was saved by Washington & Lee goalkeeper Miles Furman. A cross by senior Ben Zimmer could not find anyone’s foot and was cleared by the Generals, but only as far as sophomore Francesco Mattucci, whose shot was wide. In the fifty-seventh minute, a cross by freshman Christian Backich was saved by Furman, and Tewodros was unable to convert the rebound.
As the game continued, both teams were eager to score, and the game got scrappy quite quickly. In the sixty-fourth minute, the referee showed yellow cards to Buster Coehig for a retaliatory tackle and to Mattucci for dissent. After the ensuing free kick, Woodings had another chance for the Cardinals, his shot being saved by Furman. Sami Seife was shown a yellow card for a dissent, and Willy Hall received a yellow for a strong tackle on Woodings. In the seventy-fifth minute, a member of the Washington & Lee coaching staff was shown a yellow card for dissent.
In the eighty-second minute, Woodings had another chance: a shot that was just wide of the goal. The Generals had the final chance of the game in the eighty-seventh minute: a long shot that was parried wide by junior goalkeeper Owen Allegro.
The game ended 1-1, but Catholic certainly controlled the tempo in a match against a Washington & Lee team that was ranked #4 coming into the season. The Cardinals continued their undefeated streak and moved to 3-0-1 on the season.
On Tuesday night, #18 Catholic drew against Washington College. They return home to Carlini Field to host Stockton this Saturday, September 20.
