FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – A historic run for the St. Mary’s College of Maryland men’s soccer team concluded Saturday afternoon (Nov. 11) in the first round of the NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Championship Tournament. St. Mary’s College (11-7-4) succumbed to a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to John Carroll University on the campus of the University of Mary Washington.
How It Happened
- The Seahawks came out on the offensive as fifth-year captain Zack Glime (Annapolis, Md./Key) fired the first shot of the game in the third minute. Glime carried the ball about 20 yards down the right side of the field before ripping a low, driven shot to the near post, forcing Brenden Moher to make a diving save to his left.
- John Carroll put together a flurry of shots, testing senior captain Matthew Kopsidas (Rockville, Md./T.S. Wootton) and the Seahawk defense in the 15th minute. A pair of blocked shots sandwiched two consecutive point-blank saves by Kopsidas.
- Kopsidas came up big once again about five minutes later as he came out and smothered a shot at the near post by Jaden Wright and then caught a shot by Hayden Haffner.
- First-year forward Franco Reyes (Silver Spring, Md./Montgomery Blair) generated St. Mary’s next scoring opportunity in the 36th minute as Reyes aimed a shot just underneath the crossbar but Moher reached up and grabbed it.
- The Blue Streak ended the half with another offensive flurry, but the SMCM defense withstood the attack and the two sides headed into the break in a scoreless draw.
- St. Mary’s notched the first attack of the second half when first-year midfielder Braden Kindred (Olney, Md./Sherwood) had a shot from the left side which was easily handled by Moher.
- Jack Foht broke through for JCU at 77:01 from the penalty spot as Foht settled a square pass from Nicholas Graeca and put it to the left of Kopsidas for the eventual game-winning goal.
- Junior forward Elliot Hodges (Rockville, Md./Avalon) looked to net the equalizer in the 81st minute as he dribbled past a couple of Blue Streak defenders before taking a shot at the near post, forcing Moher to make a point-blank save.
Inside the Box Score
- John Carroll posted a 19-8 (6-4 on goal) shot advantage as well as an 8-3 margin in corner kicks.
St. Mary’s College Game Notes
- Kopsidas finished the game with five saves while Kindred led the team with two shots (one on goal).
John Carroll Game Notes
- Foht paced the Blue Streak with four shots (two on goal) while Moher made four stops for his fifth shutout.
Up Next for the Seahawks
- Season Complete
Facebook:StMarysAthletics | Instagram: @smcseahawks, @smcmmsoccer
Twitter: @smcseahawks, @SMCM_MSOCCER
Hashtags: #GoHawks | #SeahawkPROUD | #SweepTheSheds