Brady Picks up Player of the Week

Not even half way into the season, junior Matt Brady has established himself as one of the most intimidating offensive players in the Landmark Conference. In his freshmen year, he was honored as the ‘Capital Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year’, and has continued his quality play every since. This year, he has scored in five out of the Cardinals seven games, with a total of seven goals and three assists in the season.  

Brady, a civil engineering major from Woodbridge, Virginia, has been a starter ever since he came to CUA in the fall of 2006.  He was a five sport athlete at Potomac High School, where he played soccer, hockey, golf, as well as ran track and cross country.   

 

Although his high level of play on the soccer field is evidently worthy of great praise, you would never know this if you had a conversation with him.  His modest approach as a player and captain possibly deserves even more admiration.   His unique ability to serve as an intermediate between the players and coaching staff has been critical in shaping the dynamics of this year’s team.    With the help of fellow juniors Brian Pappas and Tim McAneny, Brady has been a major contributor to the program’s steady improvement over the last three years.  

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.