Posted: Apr 11, 2021
WILMINGTON, Ohio – John Carroll University (JCU) scored two goals in each half of a 4-2 Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) victory over the Wilmington College men's soccer team at Williams Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The victory gives the Blue Streaks a perfect 8-0-0 regular season and drops the Fightin' Quakers to 6-3-0. Both teams are in position to host OAC Tournament games next week when the league announces the matchups on Monday.
Possession was back and forth in the first portion of the first half, but JCU would strike first on a counterattack in the 36th minute. Lawrence Cersosimo II started the break and got the ball back from Michael Burrington to open the scoring. Less than 90 seconds later, the Blue Streak broke loose down the far side of Williams Stadium. The ball got dropped back to Ryan Notarianni who sent a bending ball towards the far post. The shot, which went over the head of Wilmington goalkeeper Felix Maurer, hit the inside of the post and went in.
John Carroll, which had surrendered just two goals the entire season, looked to enter halftime up two goals, but Wilmington had other ideas. The Quakers earned a free kick near midfield with under two minutes to play. Brady Shapiro sent a ball into the box, and Yusef Muqtadir pounced on the loose ball, cutting the host's deficit in half at half.
The wind seemed to come out of the sails of the Quakers nearly nine minutes into the second half as the Blue Streaks received a fortunate bounce. In the 54th minute, William Grubbs settled a ball outside of the 18-yard box. His shot was blocked by Grant Murray, but the ball ricocheted into the Wilmington net.
JCU would make it 4-1 in the 75th minute, but Brady Shapiro got that goal back with a long free kick goal that caught the Blue Streak defense off guard in the final minute.
Maurer took the loss, making just one save in the five shots on goal he faced. Connor Robinson and Connor Gynn both made one save and allowed one goal for JCU as Robinson earned the victory.
Wilmington concludes its 2021 spring regular season with a third-place finish in the OAC and a 6-3-0 record.
