Saint Ignatius rides two goals by Colin Cleary and goals by Bobby Barsic and JoeMack Leonardo to its second victory in as many outings this young season. The Wildcats respond to the words their coaches delivered at halftime and now lead their all-time series with the Mustangs, 18-9-6.
Ohio City - Following a first half that was less than pleasing to Saint Ignatius head soccer coach Mike McLaughlin '85 and his veteran staff, the Wildcats, said Coach McLaughlin, were probably fortunate to be tied after the first 40 minutes of Tuesday night's match up with the Strongsville Mustangs on Wasmer Field.
"Your expectations are defined by how hard you defend," Coach McLaughlin said to his nationally ranked team, while pointing out that the Wildcats needed a bigger defensive effort, both physically and verbally, in the midfield.
Coach McLaughlin's words didn't fall on deaf ears, as Saint Ignatius came out in the second half and took control on goals by senior Co-Captain Colin Cleary and junior midfielder JoeMack Leonardo, and turned back Strongsville, 4-3, in front of a healthy crowd that included strong student body support for the Wildcats.
Cleary's goal, his second of the night and third on the season, came with less than three minutes gone in the second half and set the tone for the final 37 minutes.
With seven minutes remaining, Leonardo powered home the difference maker, as the Mustangs, under the direction of one of the finest coaches in Ohio, Mr. Tobey Cook, would score in the final seconds off a penalty kick by junior midfielder Justin Nadzan. It was Strongsville's first outing for 2013.
"Again, this is such an early stage of the season and these are things that sometimes take a month to get sorted out," said Coach McLaughlin, who emphasized that the Wildcats' revived effort in the second half was definitely the difference. "I'm really pleased with how they responded in the second half, defensively first, and then the ball movement was much better. It was one and two unselfish touches and finding the open guy.
"In the first half, when the ball gets stuck at somebody's foot for more than five or six touches, the game breaks down," Coach McLaughlin continued. "The way we try to play, the more we move it the greater chances we have to get forward and find open seams. We did that much better in the second half."
Saint Ignatius, which will take its 2-0 record into this weekend's (Saturday and Sunday) annual Ohio Jesuit Cup Tournament at Cincinnati St. Xavier, started strong and fast on what was a picture-perfect night in Ohio City.
Cleary brought a huge roar from the student body when sent home the game's first goal at 33:28 of the first half.
Strongsville, getting some crafty play from its midfielders and junior defender/forward Jeremy Foust, would answer with goals by senior midfielder/forward Josh Weisbarth and sophomore midfielder Tim Hoffman and led, 2-1, with 16 minutes and 41 seconds left in the first half. Hoffman sent home a rebound off an authoritative shot by Foust.
Saint Ignatius, which opens Jesuit Cup play on Saturday at 3 PM against St. John's Jesuit, evened things up on a determined, yet under control goal by gifted junior midfielder Bobby Barsic off an assist from Leonardo. It came with 12:19 to go in the first half.
"A lot of the game is communication and I thought in the first half we lacked that," said Leonardo, who moved to the Cleveland area a year ago this month from Malibu, California. "In the second half we progressed in our communication and were more unified. To be successful through the middle is the whole game, and I think we did that in the second half."
Coach Jim Brennan's junior varsity Wildcats also improved to 2-0 with a 3-1 victory over Strongsville on Tuesday evening.
Steve Milhoan, John Duldner and Adam Collins provided the goals and Nick Malik and Hayden Parente delivered the assists, including two by Parente. The 'Cats had a fourth goal waved off by an off-sides penalty.
John Duldner's dad, Dr. John Duldner '84, is a former Wildcat soccer mainstay.