The Case Western Reserve University men’s soccer team continues to be on a roll, defeating Kenyon College 3-0 this past Saturday at DiSanto Field. With the win, CWRU improves to 7-0 while Kenyon falls to 5-2 for the season.
Going into the game, CWRU was ranked as the No. 3 men’s soccer program in the country, the highest rank for the program in recent memory. Though the ranking is a notable one, many members of the team felt that it had no effect on their performance or the expectations going into the match.
“We all know what the No. 3 ranking means for how we approach every game and training—absolutely nothing changes,” fourth-year defender and co-captain Cormac Apostolides said. “We approached this game the same way we would have approached it if we had come in unranked.”
Third-year midfielder Owen Guffey expressed similar sentiments about the ranking.
“It’s exciting to get that recognition, but we try to take things day by day,” Guffey said. “Our focus is on the next practice, then the next match. We can’t control rankings, but we can control how much we put into each day.”
That approach was evident from the opening whistle, as both teams battled through a defense-heavy first half. Second-year goalkeeper Carter Shedd saved a Kenyon shot off a corner kick within the first five minutes of the match, and back and forth play continued for much of the period with both sides showing strong defensive efforts but unable to break through. Kenyon came close to taking the lead near the end of the period with a pair of corner kicks, but the Owls were unable to convert their opportunities, leaving the score 0-0 going into halftime.
Reflecting on the team’s mindset at halftime, fourth-year midfielder Ohta Kamiya took note of the team’s mentality: same as before but continue keeping up the pressure.
“At halftime the message was pretty simple. Keep doing what we were doing and make sure we capitalize on our chances,” Kamiya said. “I think we did exactly that in the second half. They were a good team and made us work for the win, but we put away our chances when they came and came out on top.”
The Spartan offense indeed capitalized on its chances during the second half, quickly jumping into action as they broke through Kenyon’s defense to score a goal in the 46th minute, courtesy of graduate student forward Saiheed Jah with an assist from Guffey.
Kenyon continued to pressure the Spartan defense and generate opportunities. Shedd responded with several key saves, ultimately finishing the night with six saves and his first career shutout. The Spartans’ defense held firm as the Owls looked for an equalizer.
CWRU then doubled their advantage in the 68th minute. Jah played a role once again, sending a ball across the front of the net after a throw-in. Second-year defender Gavin Trosch finished the chance to give the Spartans a 2-0 lead, with assists coming from Jah and second-year midfielder Aydin Sumer to secure the goal. Then, in the 87th minute, Kamiya found the back of the net off an assist from third-year midfielder Mitchell Fein, giving CWRU its third goal of the night and sealing their seventh straight win of the season.
Reflecting on the win, Apostolides emphasized the significance of the result.
“This was a strong result for me and my teammates,” Apostolides said. “We knew the quality of our opponent this year, and we were able to get a strong result that stands out after several draws and losses to Kenyon over the years.”
Kamiya applauded the combined efforts of his teammates to play at their highest level.
“Every guy who stepped on the field, played with a really high level of intensity. We won a lot of second balls, pressed together as a unit, and never let them get comfortable,” Kamiya said. “There were definitely moments where we could have been cleaner on the ball, and that’s something we’ll keep working on, but our work rate carried us through those stretches. That kind of effort is something we can bring every single game, and it’s a big part of our identity as a team.”
Looking forward, the squad will be traveling to Angola, Indiana to take on Trine University on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 12 p.m. This match marks the Spartans’s final non-conference match of the season. Upon returning to Cleveland, preparation begins for the year’s UAA slate, which will commence on Saturday, Oct. 3 with a 5 p.m. away match against the University of Rochester.