Red Men Open Battle on the Border With Win
- Sep 8, 2017
- 2 min read
Photo by M. Fingerson
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- The Red Men defeated Hope College 2-1.
- The Red Men outshot the Flying Dutchmen 14-5.
- Junior Jerry Patino headlined the offensive effort with 3 shots.
- Goalkeeper Niko Mavrogiannis earned two saves.
The #22 Carthage College Men's soccer team (3-0, 0-0 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) opened the Battle on the Border Invitational with a win against Hope College (1-2).
"Today was a solid win versus one of Michigan's traditional powerhouses in soccer. Although on paper we looked like we owned everything, it really was an entertaining soccer match. That's college soccer," said head coach Steve Domin of the win.
The two teams were back and forth throughout the first half, resulting in a 0-0 standoff after the first half. It was not until the 56th minute that junior Kevin Mahoney scored on a penalty kick. Ten minutes later, a shot on goal would come from sophomore Matt Rojel, that would hit off Hope's goalkeeper Blair McCormick and into the back of the net.
"We wanted to keep the momentum going, and not give up fouls especially because Hope is a big team when it came to winning headers. We had to play smart, move the ball around, and tire them out in the long run," said junior midfielder Kevin Mahoney.
The night was also highlighted by a standout performance from goalkeeper Niko Mavrogiannis who earned the win between the pipes. Mavrogiannis collected two saves in the match, a year to the day which his ACL was torn in 2016 against Lake Forest College.
"It's an awesome feeling to be back, and get this win for the team. I worked hard post-surgery, throughout the summer, kept on going and going, and it was great to get this win for the guys," said Mavrogiannis.
The Red Men will cap off the annual Invitational with a rematch against the #9 University of Chicago Maroons. The Maroons will enter the match against the Red Men coming off a 7-1 win against St. Norbert College.
"Going into that match, we will need to play our game, face them with confidence and not worry about making mistakes. As long as we play our game and control ball handling, we will make this match a memorable one," said Mahoney.
"I think it will be a great matchup; they're a hard working team, we're a hard working team, and I believe this year will be different from the last and we'll have a positive result," said Mavrogiannis.
Kick off for the final game of the invitational will take place at 7:30 pm at Art Keller Field. Live stats and streaming will also be made available to fans via Carthage Athletic Communications.
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