Men’s Soccer Extends Unbeaten Streak to 8 Games
By Jared Prenda
The Catholic University of America’s Men’s Soccer team (7-1-1) extended its unbeaten streak to eight straight games following a 3-2 road victory at the Seagulls of Salisbury University this past Wednesday night, September 25th. The win will help the Catholic players on their quest to achieve a national ranking as they are currently ranked fifth in the United States Soccer Coaches Mid-Atlantic poll, moving up three spots from last week. They also received 86 votes for the D3soccer.com Men’s Top 25 list, up from only 19 last week.
The Cardinals defensive line served as the backbone of the team as they have for most of the season. Junior goalkeeper Jack Long recorded six saves on eight shots faced, bringing his season total to 29. The two goals surrendered on Wednesday were the first allowed in a month when they gave up three in the season debut against Gettysburg on August 30th. The six game stretch almost allowed the team to surpass their goal of eight shutouts before even kicking off against a Landmark opponent.
When asked about what the difference was this year compared to past seasons, senior defender Mike Narzukial, a two-time All-Landmark First Team member, praised the chemistry they’ve developed.
“We all complement each other really well, and have been able to play together for 3 years now so we are finally putting the pieces together,” said Narzukial.
Senior midfielder Andrew Laurenzano made it clear that the team has set lofty expectations for itself. As the season has progressed, the team will continue to work towards its ultimate goal of the Landmark Conference Championship and an NCAA tournament bid.
“We’re feeling confident. We’ve been playing really well so far but there’s always room for improvement. Our out of conference competition has been really strong and a great test for us, but we’ve been able to battle and get results again and again,” said Laurenzano. “We’re looking to bounce back and improve upon our performance in the Landmark last year, losing in the conference finals. This is a special group, and we’re focused and ready to go moving into conference play.”
The Cards struck fast and often to set the tempo for the game, as sophomore forward Ben Alexander scored his sixth goal of the season only 11 minutes into the game. The sophomore scored unassisted as he maneuvered through the Seagull defense with no offensive support. This goal has matched the strikers’ total from all of last season, as he has seen a lot more usage on the pitch this season.
Less than three minutes later, fellow sophomore midfielder Paul Egan scored the first of his two goals in the game when he rifled home a shot from the top of the penalty box at 14:37. The Dublin, Ireland native scored the first brace of his collegiate career in only his fifth total start.
Salisbury looked to pull itself back into the game at the top of the second half when it scored to bring the score within reach at 2-1. Egan provided the security goal and eventual game winner in the 66th minute when he slotted in a solo effort to bring the game to 3-1. The Seagulls would score again in the 82nd minute ending the game at a score of 3-2.
Junior centerback Nick Battaglia has proved instrumental in the team’s early success but claims the team’s focus is surpassing their success of last season, when the Cardinals fell to Elizabethtown in the Landmark Conference finals.
“Our team is really deep this year, and being full of a lot of returners who experienced the championship last year, we want it more than ever,” said Battaglia. “It’s ours for the taking and we’re willing to do whatever it takes.”
The most impressive part of this historic run may be against the quality of opponents that the Cardinals have faced. Salisbury had a 4-2-1 record entering the match, and had recently walked out of a 0-0 draw against Mary Washington, which was ranked 14th in the country at the time. The team next plays on Saturday as it travels to Scranton University for its first conference game of the season. The Royals enter the match with a 5-3 record and is likely to be a playoff contender in the conference championships.
