<rleton Men’s Soccer team continued its reign of terror over both MIAC and regional foes with two convincing wins this week. On Saturday, the Knights traveled to Saint John’s University to stomp on the dreams of the upset-minded Johnnies, 3-1. Tuesday found the Knights answering Northwestern College’s prayers for a mercifully quick defeat as Carleton prevailed 2-0.
The Knights continued the theme of striking early and often at Saint John’s, when after a mere eight minutes, Ryan Cammarota ’12 played a beautiful ball through to Tim Wills ’12. With his back to goal, Wills trapped the ball and spun for a quick shot. The Johnnie goalie was able to make the initial stop, but Miles Silbert ’12 fought for the rebound and tapped it home for an early 1-0 lead.
Cammarota didn’t stop there, as he shaked ‘n’ baked his way through the porous Johnnie defense, finding Wills again. After a fast-paced 1-2 with Silbert, Wills unleashed a left-footed blast that nearly ripped the back netting apart.
Early in the second half, Carleton widened the margin and put the game out of reach for the Johnnies. Wes Elfman ’11, the current team leader with 237 bro points, showed his true character, playing a really chill ball to Cammarota, who coolly finished his third goal of the season. Although the Johnnies managed to get past brick wall Pete Semmer ’11 in the 86th minute, the Knights were able to cruise to their sixth win of the year.
On Tuesday night, Cammarota picked up right where he left off – breaking the hearts and ankles of defenders across the Midwest. Within ten minutes at Northwestern, he had already chalked up two assists. A Cammarota signature juke freed up a pass to Taylor Ward ’13, who had posted up about eight yards out. Ward wasted no time with a fleet-footed finish, scoring his first goal of the season.
Cammarota refused to stop there, playing a chipped through ball to Wills. Wills outran the Northwestern defense, and needed just one deft touch to beat the charging keeper, arcing the ball just over the goalie’s head into the back of the net.
Semmer, showing that style and soccer aren’t mutually exclusive, sported a baseball hat that apparently kept both the sun and the Northwestern attack away. Thanks no doubt to the defensive efforts of the still largely unshorn Courtney Morris ’11, Semmer was able to record his third shutout of the season.
In the next week, the Knights will return to Bell Field for three straight MIAC games. Look for a strong offensive showing on Saturday at noon against Bethel University. The Knights next take on a talented St. Thomas team on Wednesday at four o’clock. The hotheaded Tommies always come out firing, and this game looks like it will be as physical as ever.
Next weekend, the Knights host Augsburg in what will likely be one of the defining games of their 2010 season. With a 7-3-1 record (4-1-1 in the MIAC), the Knights currently hold the top spot in the MIAC, and next week’s games will play a large role in determining whether the Knights will win a fourth consecutive title. Conditions look to be perfect to catch the chillest team in the MIAC battle for conference dominance at beautiful Bell Field.