In 15 calendar days, the Saint Ignatius Wildcats played seven games, and won all seven of them with a goal differential of +26. Two weeks ago, the Wildcats had three wins in one week, going up against Avon Lake, St. Edward, and Saint John’s Jesuit.

Last week, the Wildcats had three more, with another victory on Monday.

The first game was again University School at Wasmer Field on Tuesday, September 22. The Wildcats had taken a bit to get on the score sheet, but once they did, they didn’t let off the gas pedal. It started with a solid goal from Nolan Spicer, thrashing the ball past the goalkeeper into the top netting, for an early 1-0 lead.

Not even 30 seconds later, the Wildcats struck again. A square pass across from Zsombor Onodi into the feet of Luciano Pechota to find the back of the net put the Wildcats up 2-0 in record speed.

After a few more minutes of dominating possession, the Wildcats struck again with a potential goal of the year candidate.

A corner attempt comes up empty from the Wildcats and the ball was cleared to about 30 yards out to senior Aidan Kernell, who had himself a go, and he absolutely smashed it into the top corner of the net to give the Wildcats a 3-0 lead in impressive fashion.

Another scoring chance ensued, as Nathan Trickett also had a wonderful goal, a nice finesse shot from outside of the 18 yard box flew past the keeper into the back of the net. Finally, the Wildcats struck one final time in the second half, as Marko Rimac hit a solid half-volley off of a square pass.

Final Score: Wildcats – 5, University School – 0

On Thursday, September 24, the Wildcats traveled to Cuyahoga Falls for a match against Walsh Jesuit just two days after their battle with the Preppers. Not even six minutes in, the Wildcats had already found the back of the net, with Nolan Spicer laying off a nice pass to his fellow sophomore left back Owen Sullivan, who had a crack from just inside the 18 yard box to find the lower right corner for an early 1-0 lead.

To the Wildcats' surprise, however, Walsh Jesuit came back and equalized with a nice hit on the top of the box to tie the game up with 15 minutes remaining in the first half.

After this tally, it was mostly a battle in the middle of the park to try to gain possession and get the ball into the opposing third up until the final three minutes.

The Wildcats’ midfield played a huge part in this run as Luciano Pechota played Nolan Spicer for a goal with three minutes left to spare. The Wildcats’ run surely wasn’t finished though, as Nathan Trickett found Luciano Pechota for another goal with 30 seconds remaining. With two goals in three minutes right before the half, the Wildcats would gain loads of momentum going into the half.

Finally, with 24 minutes remaining, the Wildcats struck one more time, as Nathan Trickett hit a solid shot with an assist from the senior captain Marko Rimac. The Wildcats left Walsh with a win and a message to the rest of the state.

Final Score: Wildcats – 4, Walsh Jesuit – 1

The Soccer Cats then moved on to Saturday, September 26, in a home tripleheader. In an offensive frenzy, the Wildcats scored an astounding 7 goals against St. Francis, and won the game 7-0 in total. 

It was a great performance overall from the team, with standout players Luciano Pechota, Nolan Spicer, and Marko Rimac. 

Pechota tallied 2 goals early on, both with Spicer assists. Spicer finished the day with a hat trick of assists, all great passes. Rimac also had a wonderful goal, and played a huge role in many attacking builds.

To add onto this, many players got their first proper numbers on the stat sheet. Brayden Gotsky tallied his first goal, an impressive run with a finish into the bottom left corner, and Francis Pacetti recorded his first assist and many solid roles in attacking chances later in the game.

Final Score: Wildcats – 7, Toledo St. Francis – 0

Finally, the Wildcats struck with a huge 6-0 win against Berea Midpark on Monday evening with their starters sitting out the entire second half. 

Rain pelted Wasmer Field for much of the match, as it was a rainy and windy evening in Ohio City. Despite the elements, the Wildcats put forth a great effort to earn a win. 

Francis Pacetti had a plethora of assists, and DeVar Anderson scored with two solid headers in the second half. Overall, it was a great evening for both seniors. 

Final Score: Wildcats – 6, Berea-Midpark – 0

The Wildcats have had a very successful few weeks. With continuous dedication, team chemistry, and fitness, this team truly has proved their worth over the course of this season.

Heading into Sunday’s matinee road game at St. Xavier at 3 pm, the Wildcats own a 9-0 record and #1 poll rankings in Ohio and the United States.