Jerry ZurekThe men’s soccer team fell to Misericordia 5-1 at the Sept. 17 match, which crushed the men’s hopes of revenging last year’s close match.
Misericordia came out firing with a shot that deflected off of a Cavalier into the goal five minutes into the game. Two minutes later, Misericordia capitalized off of a penalty kick making the score 2-0. Sophomore Colin Hynes, Misericordia’s forward, scored 25 minutes into the first half. Ryan Kirby, with Joe Rotan on the assist, fired back to end the half 3-1.
Less than 10 minutes into the second half Brian Osborne scored for Misericordia. Another penalty kick a minute later brought Misericordia to a commanding lead of 5-1. This was the final nail in the coffin, ending the hope for the Cavaliers.
Cabrini did not get the revenge they were looking for from last year’s double overtime heartbreak. They fell to the Misericordia Cougars last year with a final score of 2-1. At the end of the season, Misericordia came in second place while Cabrini, in fifth, was only five points behind them.
Barry Magagna, No. 2 in center midfield, before Saturday’s game said, “The game was a big turning point last year and it will be this year too.”
Coach Glen Jaskelewicz remembers playing Misericordia in his days at Cabrini more than a decade ago and knew it would be a very spirited, physical contest.
Coach Jaskelewicz is Cabrini’s all-time high scorer. Misericordia proved themselves a formidable threat last year by qualifying for the playoffs 11 years in a row. Sean Kraus made the first team in the All-PAC honors and will be back this year playing as a back. Colin Hynes, as forward, will be one to watch as the PAC rookie of the year, ending the season with a record nine goals. Three other players were honored with second team spots in the All-PAC.
Cabrini was also ready for the game. The new freshman goalie, Colin Hinkelmon, played 90 minutes in goal against DeSales. Senior goalie, Andrew Brady, had four years of experience under his belt. However the coach decided to go with senior Brad Rink, who was injured last season. Rink made many great saves for Cabrini but had trouble defending the goal against deflections and penalty kicks.
Sam Robinson, No. 7 and fullback for Cabrini, was not seen on the field in Saturday’s game because of an injury. Robinson does not even know when he might be back on the field defending Cabrini. Barry Magagna said, “If we stay healthy, we’ll be all right.” Other Cavaliers can be seen taping, icing and stretching before practice and games, which might prove that injuries could be a problem for the team in future games.
The Cabrini team did not have to battle the three hour drive to Misericordia, and they were glad to be playing in front of their home crowd. Ian MacDonald, team captain, was hoping that many fellow Cavaliers would come to the game and support their team. More than 80 people came out to cheer the players on.
Part of that crowd were former soccer players Sean Dugan, John Stott and Nick Fenton. Dugan showed his leadership quality by directing and cheering for his former team. Stott would have liked to have seen the team passing the ball better, and Fenton wanted to see the players spreading the field. Dugan, who is trying out for the Philadelphia Kixx this October, said the team was playing well, but they were unlucky.
Dave Malosiechi, a junior midfielder, knew that this game was an important one. “Misericordia is an extremely important game because whoever comes out on top seems to clinch a playoff spot.”
Cabrini’s season is far from over with seven PAC games remaining.
