Merch. Marine Sent Packing

After ten days off, the Cardinals (6-1) were anxious to get back on the field Wednesday in their highly anticipated conference opener against rival Merchant Marine Academy (6-2). Coach Travis Beauchamp, who worked as an assistant coach at Merchant Marine for three seasons, came into the game looking for his first win against his alma mater.

The game lived up to the hype, and CUA came out with yet another narrow win, defeating the Mariners 3-2.   Junior forward Matt Brady scored two goals and Sophomore Kevin Duffy chipped in with a goal and an assist.  With this win, the Cards move to 1-0 in the Landmark Conference and upped their winning streak to four games.  Meanwhile, the Mariners, last year’s Landmark Conference champions, dropped to 0-2.  

From the first sound of the whistle, the Cardinals came out firing.  Matt Brady put the Cardinals on the board within the first ten minutes of the game off an assist from freshmen Bryan White.  CUA pushed their lead to 2-0 later in the first half when Kevin Duffy found the net off a header that had been crossed into the box by freshmen Michael DiMarco.  Although the first half ended with the Cardinals securely holding a 2-0 lead, Merchant Marine was not ready to throw in the towel.  

The Mariners responded with a spark of their own to begin the second half.   Merchant Marine senior Kyle Luetjen scored two goals within 15 minutes of each other to tie the game at two goals apiece with over 20 minutes to play.

“When Merchant Marine scored we knew we had a tough time ahead,” said Goalkeeper Quinn Daly.  “The defense stuck together under an enormous amount of pressure.”   Yet as has been characteristic of the Cards this season, they proved resilient and found a way to snag the win.  

With ten minutes left in the game, Duffy played a thru ball to Brady, who dribbled around the goalie and scored the game winner.   The defense, led by captain Tim McAneny, held strong for the final minutes which earned CUA their first conference victory.  McAneny, who turned 21 on Thursday, received an early birthday present by defeating Merchant Marine, a team he desperately wanted to beat after they lost to them 5-2 last year.   

The Cardinals outshot Merchant Marine 16-13 and goalkeeper Quinn Daly finished the game with five saves.  After the game, Coach Beauchamp noted, “Even though we had a let up in the second half by giving them back a couple of goals, we worked hard in the end and came out on top. I am really proud of how our guys worked to get us the win!”

The victory has given the Cards confidence that they can play with the elite teams in the Landmark Conference.  ”It was a true team effort and everybody came together, especially when Merchant Marine tied the game in the second half,” said Brady. ”We just put it behind us and went back to work.”

One reason for the Cardinals’ early success has been the contribution they have received from the incoming freshmen class.  In the win over the Mariners, Coach Beauchamp got quality minutes out of his freshmen.  Defenders Brian White and Hal Cogan helped secure their one-goal lead late in the game, and midfielder Michael DiMarco provided a solid presence in the middle of the field.  

Although the Cardinals are very happy with their performance thus far, they are quick to realize that they still have a lot of work to.  “This is just the start of things,” said Duffy. “It was a huge win but now it is behind us.  We just have to keep plugging away, stay level headed, and continue to put the same effort in practice.  If we are able to do this we will continue to get good results”.

The Cardinals are looking to extend their win streak to five games when they travel to Maryland on Tuesday to play St. Mary’s College (2-4-1).  Their next home game is scheduled for Tuesday October 7 at 4:00 against Washington College.

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