Catholic's Second Half Goal Grounds Eagles in Landmark Championship
HUNTINGDON, Pa.- The Juniata men's soccer team battled hard and held a lead early, but a late second-half goal gave the Catholic University of America a 2-1 victory in the Landmark Conference Championship Saturday night at Gibbel Stadium.
Nathan Weick scored off a Shawn Tanaka assist, while Maxwell Mattioni made five saves.
The Cardinals tested Mattioni early with a shot in the second minute, but he was up for the action.
Harshaan Grewal got to a cross and headed it towards frame, but it was right at the Catholic keeper. A minute later, Marzula connected with the ball from outside the box, but it was wide right.
In the 11th minute, Tanaka danced down the right sideline, carving through several Cardinal defenders. He cut in from the end line and played a ball to Weick near the six-yard box. The junior took a touch before slotting home into the right corner.
The Eagles were riding high, but 15 minutes later, the Cardinals found an answer. Their forward latched onto a through ball into the box on the right side, dribbled down towards the near post, and ripped a shot past Mattioni to make it 1-1.
The teams were 1-1 at the half, with Catholic holding a 6-3 advantage in shots.
Juniata was on the defensive for most of the second half, as Mattioni made several stops while Ty Mazzarella, Grewal, and Ryan Angelone tried to snuff out all options for the Cardinal attack.
In the 84th minute, Weick played a ball from the left side that Gavin Rauhut rose above all to meet with his head, but it bounced off the right post and out of play.
Two minutes later, a nifty Cardinal exchange saw them break down the right wing and cross the ball near the end line. Corey Magro of Catholic was first to the ball and headed it into the Eagle net.
Juniata pushed for an equalizer, and in the 88th minute, an unlikely source nearly found one. Mattioni ran up for a corner and was left unmarked near the top of the 18. He received the ball, took a touch, and smashed a shot that curled just wide of the far post.
The Cardinals managed to thwart the Eagles' final attempts at finding an equalizer to win their second straight Landmark Championship.
This loss snaps a 10-game unbeaten run for the Eagles, who hadn't lost a match since September, and marks the programs' second-ever appearance in the Landmark Conference Championship.
Juniata is now 11-3-6.