Cardinals fall 2-1 to Trojans

On a perfect, late summer evening the Cardinals men's soccer team looked destined to find their first win of the season against the Trojans from Allegany College of Maryland. Although both teams kept it close until the end, the Cardinals just could not find the tying goal, losing 2-1 at the final whistle.  

The Trojans would come out firing. A goal in the 2nd minute from freshman midfielder Mateo Vidaurre (Lima, Peru) would see the Cardinals trail early. This would not get them down however, as in the 4th minute freshman Eduardo Lopez (Baltimore, MD) would fire a shot wide of the goal. The Cardinals would not let the Trojans early goal keep them down. 

Not two minutes later the Cardinals would see the deficit increase to two goals as Mateo Vidaurre (Lima, Peru) would net his second goal of the game in the 6th minute. This quick start to the game by the Trojans would not continue, as the remainder of the first half was quiet for both teams, the score at halftime standing at 2-0 Allegany. 

The second period would continue much the same as the first ended, the score remaining 2-0 until the 65th minute when Catonsville's hometown freshman forward Mike Miranda (Catonsville, MD) slotted in his first goal of the season. This goal looked like it could light a fire under the players and help them fight to find a tying goal.  

Despite the Cardinal's 9 shots, they could not find the net again in the remaining 25 minutes of the match, which would end 2-1. 

Before the game, Catonsville coach Kingsley Onwuka spoke about his vision for the team and building a strong focus on offense. "Yeah, the boys took the instruction to heart, and they did put some balls into the box in the first half." Hopefully, the players offensive strength can last the entirety of the match going forward! 

The Cardinals have also seen some key players drop due to injury, which saw a couple unfamiliar faces get some playing time in the game. Coach Kingsley had some words on this as well after the game. "We have guys who are injured so we want to get guys off the bench and see if they can step into that role and play well in the position."   

Up next for the Cardinals, the team will travel to their sister campus, CCBC Essex, to face off against the Knights on Thursday, September 15th in what should be a great rivalry match. 

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