On Wednesday, the Wildcats took the field as they played the Twinsburg Tigers in their second game of the season. 

Due to a lightning delay, the game was suspended on Tuesday in Twinsburg, and it was continued at Wasmer Field, with 9:15 left in the first half. 

In the end, Saint Ignatius ended up defeating Twinsburg, knocking in a whopping total of four goals, while Peter Van Euwen and the rest of the defense kept a clean sheet.

The Wildcats started off strong with some very stellar passes, great defensive pressure, and getting some good attacking chances, as Matthew McLaughlin was responsible for most of them, putting in some very solid long balls up to the attack. 

Of course, Twinsburg did not go down easy. They had their work cut out for them, but they did a great job of defending the over the top balls and kept great pressure in the midfield, being one of the first teams to really keep up with our hard-working midfield. 

As the game progressed, the Wildcats scored the first goal. Nick Russo made a wonderful run through Twinsburg’s back line and slotted one in under the keeper’s arm. The Wildcats were off to a good start.

After this goal, Ignatius did not lift their foot from the gas pedal. Specifically, they really began using the width of the pitch to their advantage, swinging it around the back and switching the field often, playing long balls through the air and across the field.

After the half, Saint Ignatius got through on goal again. This time, it was Marko Rimac. The junior slipped past the defense and put one past the keeper off of an unfortunate deflection. The Wildcats led, 2-0.

Twinsburg continued to push through, but just couldn’t get a proper attacking chance, courtesy of the Saint Ignatius defense.

The Wildcats broke through on goal again, bringing up the ball with a barrage of excellent passes, and played down the line to senior Everett Shorey, who made a perfectly timed run.

Shorey cut a bit inside and is rushed by the keeper. Shorey remained calm and hit a wonderful chip shot up and over the keeper, rolling into the net. The Wildcats now sat in the driving seat with 34 minutes left in the match.

At this point, Twinsburg began breaking through on goal much more frequently than before. Due to a couple extra fouls from the midfield, Twinsburg got many more chances off of set pieces. Despite constant long crosses whipped into the box by Twinsburg, Allstate All-American goalkeeper Peter Van Euwen was barely phased, making some impressive saves throughout.

The hosts’ attacking prowess in this game had yet to stop, as with 15 minutes left, Saint Ignatius was given a corner kick. Matthew McLaughlin stepped to the corner flag and played a short, but fast pass right outside of the 18-yard box. Marko Rimac ran into it and hits an absolute rocket into the back of the net, 4-0.

The Wildcats had almost had another one, with Niko Basic hitting an astonishing bicycle kick with nine minutes left to play. Unfortunately, this goal was disallowed due to an offside call. Surely it would have been a goal of the year contender.

The final whistle blew, and your Saint Ignatius Wildcats trotted off the field in style with an impressive victory. Overall, they looked like a wonderful side, and now have won both of their games they have played this season.