The John Carroll University Men’s Soccer team has blown away the competition in the past month, establishing a No. 5 national ranking by the NCAA United Soccer Coaches. 

It all started when the team opened against Oberlin, with a late goal by junior Will Turrittin to secure a win in the home opener. The winning streak came alive when they stunned two of the top teams in the nation in one week, the University of Rochester and Kenyon College. 

The wins started to stack up for the Blue Streaks. They topped Mount Aloysius, Medaille, Denison and Case Western Reserve. 

Junior Midfielder Jared Ianiro, the team’s leader in game-winning goals, feels the team has stacked up well against their first few opponents. 

“Our out-of-conference schedule has been very challenging,” Ianiro told The Carroll News. “We’ve played some really good teams and we’ve had to grind out a lot of our wins, especially when we’re on the road.” 

The men traveled down to Pittsburgh this past Sunday, September 22, to take on the Carnegie Mellon team. Both teams were back and forth the whole game, until a late goal by the Tartans put them in front with about three minutes to go. 

The Blue Streaks responded with a header by Mario Aboumitri, followed by a corner by Turrittin to tie the game at one. The game ended up going into overtime, where it concluded in the first non-win of the season: a tie. 

“It was a really hot day and we knew it was going to be a tough game,” Ianiro admitted. “We came out a little slow, but eventually we picked it up. We gave up a goal with only about three minutes left, so we knew we needed one quick. 

“We got a corner with about a minute left and Will [Turittin] had a great service in and Mario Aboumitri had a perfect header. In extra-time our defense was solid, but we just couldn’t get another goal. It was a good effort on our side, but we know we will have to be better next weekend.” 

The men will travel down to Grantham, Pennsylvania, where they will take on Messiah College in an attempt to preserve an undefeated record. The game is this Saturday, Sept. 28, kick-off at 1 p.m.

The reigning Ohio Atheltic Conference Champions will defend their title beginning Saturday, Oct. 5, against Muskingum.