Carthage Soccer 2017: A Season In Review

Nov 27, 2017
2 min read

Photo by M. Fingerson

Team Captains: Adrian Herrera, Kevin Mahoney, Johnny Rimkus, and Jamie Tausend

Record: 13-7-2, 5-2-1 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

Conference Championship: 2nd Place vs. North Park University

The Carthage College Red Men entered the 2017 season following a historic run in program history, with a perfect conference record, hosting a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III Men’s Soccer Regional and All-American accolade. With a combination of returning players and newcomers in the mix, the Red Men finished the 2017 season with a 13-7-2 record, and a 5-2-1 record on the CCIW.

The Red Men finished third in the conference in the regular season with victories over Augustana College, Carroll University, Elmhurst College, Illinois Wesleyan University, and Wheaton College. The Red Men’s two losses came from matches against North Central College and Millikin University, and their only tie in the conference came against eventual champions North Park University.

The Red Men returned to the CCIW Tournament Title Match, but were defeated by the North Park University Vikings 4-0 after a Red Card in the first seven minutes forced the team to play a man short.

The Red Men will graduate five seniors in Daniel Axtman, Joey Klawitter, Sahr Mahoney, Johnny RImkus, and Jamie Tausend.

Team Highlights

Carthage defeated Kalamazoo College Tuesday, Sep 5th, the first home match for the Red Men following Art Keller Field's renovation. Carthage tied then-No. 8 North Park University in the regular season 2-2 at Art Keller Field. It was the only tie North Park had in the CCIW during the regular season.

Individual Highlights

Jerry Patino lead all Red Men in goals scored with five. Freddy Martinez Kevin Reilly, Adrian Herrera, and Kevin Mahoney tied for second with four goals each. Martinez and Jamie Tausend both lead Carthage in assists on the season with six apiece. Kevin Mahoney and Luke Schoffstall lead Carthage in game winning goals with two apiece. Brayan Arce Justiniano lead all Red Men goalkeepers with 36 saves on 109 shots faced.

Tausend shattered Max Zbliut's hold on the Career Starts Record, setting a new record of 78 starts as a member of the Carthage men's soccer program. Tausend also claimed a stake in the top five on the Carthage Soccer Career Assists List with 16, taking Billy Hamilton's ranking. Senior Johnny Rimkus finished eighth in the Top 10 Career Goals list with 20 goals in four seasons. Sophomore Brayan Arce Justiniano cemented his status as a top goalkeeper for Carthage with 36 saves in 2017. Those 36 saves landed him a spot on the Top 5 Career Saves List with 98. Junior Niko Mavrogiannis advanced two spots on Career Saves List following the 2016 season, which he sat out for most of due to injury. Mavrogiannis now sits at seventh in the Top 10 with 66 career saves.

Honors and Awards

Photos Appear Courtesy of Carthage Athletics