The Observer, September 26, 2008
Volume XLI, Issue 5
Men's Soccer: With three straight wins, Spartans hope to right ship
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Stinging from a horrific two weeks for a team that was supposed to have national-title-contention type talent, the Spartans fought back this past week. The men's soccer team has won their past three games, doing it in every possible fashion. They played physically against cross-town rival John Carroll University. They outlasted and dominated late against a strong Heidelberg College team. Yet the best was yet to come as this past Thursday they pulled out a thrilling overtime victory against the College of Wooster. While familiar faces continued to play well, it was the freshmen class that really stole the show for the Spartans over the past three games.
The game against John Carroll saw a total of 30 fouls while Case players drew three yellow cards, all coming in the second half. Both teams played very well on defense, but John Carroll finally broke when freshman Mark Ilhan received a great pass from senior R.J. French in the 71st minute and scored the lone goal of the game. Konrad Karasek was back in goal and played incredibly well, making six saves during the game and preserving the shutout.
Against Heidelberg, the Spartans built on their performance against Carroll, playing more outstanding defense and making big plays offensively when they needed to. The first goal came off the head of freshman Vinny Bell in the 36th minute, after French set him up with another great pass. The game turned into a defensive battle for the next 46 minutes, with Karasek grabbing six of his eight saves over the duration. Then, the Spartans unleashed a flurry of offense, scoring three goals in a span of under four minutes. The first was by French, the second by sophomore Kyle Bednar, and the last was Bell's second goal of the night. All three of the goals were unassisted.
The most recent victory for Case came at the expense of the College of Wooster. This past Wednesday, the Spartans found themselves behind going into the second period after the Fighting Scots scored a goal in the 42nd minute during a scramble for the ball in front of the Spartans' net. However, Case Western answered quickly in the second period, scoring in the 56th minute. After Wooster had been whistled for a hand ball, French continued his offensive prowess from the previous two games and put the equalizer in the lower right corner. Both teams found opportunities in the rest of the second period, but great goalkeeping – Karasek recorded all five of his saves in the second period – from both sides sent the game into overtime. This is when Bell again came through. In the 94th minute, Bell took a poor clear from the Scot's defense, split two defenders, and put the ball in the left side of the net, winning the game for the Spartans.
