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.

CUA Cardinal’s Offense Overcomes Shenandoah

 

The men’s soccer team weathered Tropical Storm Hannah this weekend, continuing their solid start to the season at the Richard Stockton tournament and ending the week with a home victory over Shenandoah.

Fresh off a first place finish last weekend, the Cardinals faced off against Richard Stockton and Ramapo College over the weekend.

Richard Stockton struck first and provided the Cards with a very physical game. After trailing 1-0 the majority of the game, freshman midfielder Michael DiMarco scored the equalizer off a cross from sophomore Adrian Davis. Yet it would be Richard Stockton’s game-winning goal in the remaining 6 minutes that would lead to the men’s first loss of the season, with a final score of 2-1.

Despite the defeat, the Cardinals were encouraged with their level of play. “They are a good team”, admits sophomore Kevin Duffy. “We played them evenly, controlled the second half, but they came out with the result. But that is why we play preseason tournaments against legit teams.”

The Cardinals were back on the field Saturday morning against Ramapo. According to Coach Travis Beauchamp, the team “came out on Saturday, and it felt like the guys had something to prove”. The arrival of Tropical Storm Hannah provided a muddy stage for the second half of Saturday’s match. Dirt and rough play did not faze the Cardinals. “The weather didn’t really affect the game until the end,” says Captain Tim McAneny. “But we were able to lock down and get the win.”

Junior Matt Brady provided the offensive firepower for CUA. In the first half Brady received a ball near midfield, dribbled past the Ramapo defense, and beat the keeper. He added his second goal of the game off a penalty kick three minutes into the second half. The strong play of the defense and goalkeeper Quinn Daly earned the Cardinals their first shutout of the season, with a final score of 2-0.

The men also faced off against Shenandoah on Thursday. The game got off to a slow start, remaining scoreless for much of the first half. While Shenandoah was first to score, Catholic

quickly answered with a goal by Matt Brady. Getting into the second half, Catholic had several goal attempts, most of which were overshot. Yet junior Brian Pappas kicked one in the net, giving Catholic the lead for the remainder of the game. While it wasn’t Catholic’s strongest game, their performance was enough to defeat Shenandoah 2-1.

Their strong start to the season has the team playing with a lot energy and confidence. Summing up the weeks action, Matt Brady said, “We played two quality teams this weekend and had two good performances. Those good performances showed us that we can play with anyone.”

The Cards are also proving to be road worthy, with a 3-1-0 record traveling.

-Lauren Williams contributed to this report.

 

 

 

Men’s Soccer Wins First Tournament in Seven Years

Catholic kicked off their season strong with two consecutive wins this weekend.
On Saturday’s game against Randolph-Macon, the Cardinals separated themselves from the beginning when sophomore Adrian Davis connected on a crossing pass that bounced inside the box. CUA went into halftime up 1-0, but Randolph-Macon responded within the first four minutes of the second half. Despite the setback, they rebounded with a game-winning goal by junior captain Matt Brady. The defense tightened up for the remaining 30 minutes as CUA sealed the win. With 2 additional saves by goalkeeper Quinn Daly, the Cards defeated Randolph Macon 2-1.

Catholic was back on the field Sunday against Randolph, defeating them 3-2 in a tough battle that was decided in overtime. CUA was the first on the board after Matt Brady scored on a free kick from 23 yards out. Brady bent the ball over a wall of Randolph defenders, netting a score in the corner of the goalpost. The Cardinals dominated the remainder of the first half, but were unable to put one in the net.

CUA continued to put pressure on Randolph early in the second half, and it didn’t take long for Kevin Duffy to score. The Cardinals carefully strung together a series of sharp passes which culminated in yet another goal from sophomore Kevin Duffy. Randolph, however, would not go down without a fight. Minutes before the final whistle, they wove through the Cardinal defense and were taken down in the box. Randolph capitalized on the penalty kick, and the two teams were tied with 2 goals and sent into overtime.

Three minutes into overtime, Duffy nailed the game-winning goal with a deep pass from junior Austin Costeira. “Austin was huge for us today,” says sophomore Matt Hofrichter. “Not only did he assist Duffy’s goal, but also had a key clearance late in the game”.

With the win over Randolph College, the men’s team not only improved their record to 2-0-0, but was also overall winner of the Randolph-Macon tournament. Duffy was named Landmark Conference offensive player of week and MVP of the tournament. Captain Tim McAneny notes, “We played well as a team, and it was good to pick up our first two wins.”

The successful weekend at the Randolph-Macon tournament has certainly influenced the team going into the new season. “We are young and are still getting to know the tendencies of each other,” says Coach Travis Beauchamp. “I think as we progress and gain confidence we will continue to improve. We have a very difficult weekend ahead of us up in New Jersey. However, if we play the way we are capable good things can happen.”
The men’s soccer team will compete in the Richard Stockton tournament this weekend in Pomona, New Jersey.