A fellowship-filled itinerary was the primary focus for the John Carroll Men’s Soccer team this past weekend.  The beginning of October signaled the annual Homecoming and family celebration for the John Carroll community, where parents, students and alumni bonded over Blue Streak pride. But, for the men’s soccer team, this collection of days carried an additional meaning in their 3-0 victory against Muskingum University Saturday night.

Andrew “Dewey” McCarthy ‘81 was a former member of the men’s soccer team. McCarthy passed away in 1983, a year after he founded the John Carroll Alumni soccer game.  Since then, the alumni match and weekend gathering was named after “Dewey” himself and a scholarship honoring his legacy has been awarded to members of the soccer program since 1988.  

McCarthy weekend also welcomed the return of the 2003 men’s soccer team.  This talented group of men earned a spot in the John Carroll Athletics Hall of Fame for their acquisition of an Ohio Athletic Conference title, but most of all, their unprecedented trip to the round of 16 in the DIII NCAA tournament. The induction was featured as a segment of the hall of fame dinner on Friday, Oct. 1.  

The induction ceremony additionally served as the site of the Blue and Gold Club’s inaugural Wenzler Award, which is a distinction granted in memory of Chris Wenzler. 

Wenzler, a pivotal, significant and contributing leader of the John Carroll Sports Information Department lost his battle to cancer in June 2020.  He is remembered for his work, but also his spirit, consideration and generosity to mentoring students.  The award is given to a member of JCU Sports Information who exemplifies the same characteristic as Wenzler.  This year, the honor was given to John Carroll men’s soccer player, Michael Adelman (fifth year).

The final event of McCarthy weekend shined the spotlight on the current men’s soccer squad, who concluded the weekend’s camaraderie with a 3-0 victory against Muskingum University on Sat, Oct. 2 at Don Shula Stadium.  The Streaks demonstrated precise skill and strategy, showcasing and representing a high standard of play that the opposition could not contend with.

John Carroll started strong, with the initial goal occurring just eight minutes into the competition.  Jack Foht ‘25, a dynamic forward for the Blue Streaks, capitalized on a ball from Brendan Swann ‘23, which led to some fancy “Fohtwork” and a pristinely placed shot in the lower left corner of the net.  

“Scoring an early goal was really important for us,” said Foht.  “We had a lot of chances in the first half, but to get one early was crucial.  It was one of our goals to get an early lead, and we achieved that.”

With a quick goal, the momentum was clearly in favor of John Carroll. The majority of the first half was filled with opportunities for the Blue and Gold.  

The Fighting Muskies were forced to create fast counter-attacks but continued to stay goalless due to a forceful backline and directive vocal strategy from John Carroll goalkeeper Connor Robinson ‘22.

The efforts of the Blue Streaks continued to pay off as they were able to tally a second goal late in the first half from Jared Mattei ‘22, who sent a rebounded shot past a discombobulated Muskingum goalie. Going into halftime, John Carroll seemingly kept a consistent strategy: keep possession and keep chances brewing.

Their game plan for the second half of play looked similar to the first 45 minutes as high pressure on Muskingum led to turnaround counter-attacks, but simple strings of passes showcased a controlled Blue and Gold team that could keep the ball at their feet. 

The remainder of the game was filled with shots from the Blue Streaks that barely went high over the net, inches away from the goalpost or skimmed off the goalie’s fingertips.  The efforts of a persistent offense were not showcased by the score.

In minute 86 of play, James Hoover ‘25 sealed the victory for the Blue Streaks by hammering a right-footed ball into the upper-right corner of the net. 

“We were pretty confident in our game plan and we had some chances but weren’t able to get as many goals as we hoped considering the chances we had,” said Foht. “It was a big win to set the tone for the rest of the conference play we have this season and we are looking to end the OAC conference play strong and achieve the goals we want to achieve.”

Following a fulfilling and wholesome McCarthy weekend, the Blue and Gold (4-3-2) will host OAC competitor, Mount Union (7-1-1), for a 7 p.m. kickoff at Don Shula Stadium on Wednesday, Oct. 6.