Nick Schade

Sports Editor

The Fighting Scots men’s soccer team scored an impressive win against John Carroll University (JCU) on Wednesday, Oct. 15. Following a 2-1 win against Wabash on October 11, the Scots shut out the Blue Streaks 2-0, extending their undefeated season record to 10-0-4. The game also marked the Scots’ second conference win, where they boast an impressive record of 2-0-2. 

Both teams played a generally even game for the first half of the match. John Carroll attempted the matchup’s first shot in the 16th minute, which was quickly saved by Scots goalie Eddie Glucksman ’28. The Scots also successfully fended off 5 corner kicks while attempting 3 of their own shots, although the Blue Streaks played a slightly more aggressive offense with 4 total shots by the end of the first period. 

With the score still 0-0 at the start of the 2nd half, both teams intensified their offensive drives, with the Scots attempting a shot 2 minutes into the period and 3 more by the end of the 57th minute. The Scots finally prevailed against the Blue Streaks’ defense in the 80th minute, as Elliot Miller ’26 landed a clean goal off a penalty kick. This effort was initiated by a coordinated push into John Carroll’s territory, which pressured the defenders into a foul. Eager to continue attacking, Connor Shea ’28 delivered the Scots a 2nd goal in the final minute of the game as he skillfully dribbled the ball upfield and slipped through John Carroll’s defense, bringing the score to a satisfying 2-0 victory for Wooster.

Proud of their individual performances, the Scots also highlighted their strong team dynamic as one of the deciding qualities in the game. 

“Our biggest strength is our culture. We emphasize outworking everyone and, in the JCU game, we worked hard and eventually we were able to break them down and get the points for conference,” said Nate Chartrand ’27.

“We changed formations in the second half against John Carroll which is a huge credit to Coach Zidron and Coach Giloth having the faith in their players to make a crucial change and adapt quickly and the tactical awareness to make the change that resulted in us winning the game,” said Shea. 

The Scots’ win against John Carroll marks their 2nd win in the conference and their 4th conference game of the season. The Scots faced fierce competition in their first 2 conference matchups against DePauw University and Denison University, which ultimately ended in ties. Since fall break, the Scots have improved their conference standing with back-to-back wins against Wabash and now John Carroll, which places them in a strong position for the conference championships. 

“Our first two NCAC games were decent results as they were both away against very strong opponents,” said Robert Hillhouse ’27, commenting on Wooster’s matches against DePauw and Denison. “The goal this season is to win the conference tournament and make the national tournament, so we just have to continue our streak and finish out the last NCAC conference games.”

Men’s soccer will seek to continue their undefeated record against Ohio Wesleyan University at home on Saturday, Oct. 25 at 1 p.m. Go Scots!