The itinerary has shifted some during the first few days of the Saint Ignatius soccer team's trip to Jamaica, but the journey has been full of fun and success thus far.
The 30 Saint Ignatius student-athletes on the trip have enjoyed nearly every moment thus far, as the coaching staff has exposed the team to brand-new culture and experiences.
In the first day, the Wildcats were scheduled to play a set of games against a local school in Montego Bay (the Wildcats are staying in Ironshore, Montego Bay). However, rain on Tuesday night forced a postponement of the soccer match to Thursday. So instead on Wednesday, the Wildcats played beach soccer, snorkeled off a glass bottom boat, and swam in the Caribbean Ocean at the 7 Mile Beach in Negril. Nearly every member of the team, and several members of the coaching staff, jumped off the 25 and 35-foot cliffs at the famous Rick's Cafe, too.
On the second day on Thursday, the Soccer Cats were originally scheduled to participate in a service trip with a local, Catholic all-girls school. However, the girls at the school were unavailable, forcing a postponement of the Spring-into-Action-esque service day. Instead, the Wildcats visited a local Rastafarian farm. Talking to the Rasta man who lived and cared for the property, the team learned about the tenets of Rastafarianism – vegetarianism, chastity, care for the Earth, and kindness.
Following the trip to the farm, the Wildcats headed into Montego Bay to play local powerhouse Cornwall College, a high school in Montego Bay that has won 12 Dacosta Cups.
The Wildcats' younger team, made up of mostly sophomores and a handful of juniors, matched up with Cornwall's young team, a JV equivalent. The men of Ohio City controlled the tempo of the first half, keeping the ball in Cornwall's zone for the most part. The Cats could not break through in the first half, however, leaving the score tied at half.
In the second, Cornwall's boys started to showcase the renowned speed and skill of Jamaican soccer. Cornwall began to control more of the tempo, eventually finishing off a chance midway through the second. The 1-0 score placed the pressure squarely on the shoulders of the American boys. The Wildcats became more aggressive and started to send more men forward.
With just a couple minutes left in the contest, Marko Rimac started pressuring Cornwall. The one-man wrecking crew found space to work with a minute later along the left side. An illegal slide tackle by a Cornwall player in the box led to a penalty kick for Marko. The sophomore wasted little time in placing the ball into the bottom left side of the net for the game-tying goal.
The contest ended in a 1-1 tie, concluding the first match of the trip on a positive note.
The Wildcats' top team came out roaring to start the contest. The men showed no signs of intimidation against some of the big Jamaican players, especially Cornwall's defenders. The Wildcats held the ball for most of the first half and keeping the ball off the feet of Cornwall's talented players.
Following a Wildcat corner kick late in the second, the ball came to the center of the box. A scramble for the ball sent the keeper to the ground, leaving an open net for the Cats. Danny Kalic exploited the opening, tapping the ball into the back of the net.
At halftime, the score stood at 1-0. The Wildcats started to show signs of wear by the end of the period, but Head Coach Mike McLaughlin '85 fired up the men for the second 40 minutes.
Everett Shorey converted a tally to the low right side off a nice bounce, adding an insurance marker. The floodgates opened soon afterwards, with the Wildcats dominating the play. Kyle Healy scored on a deep goal, lofting a beautiful strike over heads over the head of the keeper and into the back of the net. Healy's wonderful tally sent his teammates into a frenzy.
With Peter Van Euwen holding things down in net for the Wildcats, the offense kept going to work. Theo Kudlo and Bryce Horton nearly scored goals, but they were wiped away by offsides calls. But it didn't matter, as Austin Zeleznik's sweet move and pass on the end line set up a beauty of a goal by Everett Shorey.
The Wildcats' scoring output wowed the local players and fans and left McLaughlin and the team feeling good heading into tomorrow's doubleheader.
Following practice, the team met Warren Barrett, the goalkeeper and a captain on the 1998 Jamaican World Cup team. A Cornwall alumnus, Barrett currently serves as a goalkeeper goal for Cornwall.
Tomorrow, the Wildcats will play a total of four games, as the 'young' and 'old' teams will each play two games. The contest will start at noon, Jamaican time.