ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Carthage scored twice late in the first half Saturday and added an insurance goal in the final minute of its 3-1 win over Augustana at Thorson-Lucken Field. The Vikings fell to 5-11 on the season and 3-5 in the CCIW, while the Red Men improved to 10-8-1 overall and 4-3-1 in the conference.
Senior Jack McKearnan assisted
on Augustana's only goal in a 3-1
loss to Carthage Saturday at
Thorson-Lucken Field.
After a quiet start which saw just five shots, including just one put on frame, Carthage grabbed the lead in the 37th minute. Ivan Esquivel scored his fifth goal of the season to put the visitors up 1-0.
Just four minutes later, the Red Men extended their advantage. Kevin Mahoney tallied his fourth goal of the year off an assist from Lucas Maaske.
In the 44th minute, Augustana trimmed the deficit in half. Junior
Salah Aghlaf (Casablanca, Morocco) parlayed a
Jack McKearnan (Warren HS, Gurnee, Ill.) assist into his team-leading fourth goal of the season. McKearnan was credited with his second assist—tied with Aghlaf for the team lead.
The sides went to the break with the Carthage on top 2-1. The Red Men had a 6-3 edge in shots, including a 4-1 advantage in shots on goal.
Keeper Niko Mavrogiannis preserved the Carthage lead by turning away
Job Huges' (Gemeentelijk Gymnasium, Blaricum, Netherlands) header off a
Matthew Allen (Batavia HS, Batavia, Ill.) corner in the 55th minute. He recorded his only other save on an Aghlaf shot in the 83rd minute.
The final Red Men goal came in the 90th minute. Adrian Herrera scored his sixth of the season on a penalty kick following a caution issued to Viking keeper
Jeff Bell (Pleasant Valley HS, Bettendorf, Iowa).
The visitors finished with a 14-7 margin in shots, putting six on frame to three for Augustana. Bell allowed two goals, recorded three saves and saddled
Jeremy Klaber (Stevenson HS, Buffalo Grove, Ill.), who relieved him after the caution, with the goal on the penalty kick. Corners were 8-5 in Carthage's favor and the Vikings were whistled for 17 fouls to 12 for the Red Men.
Coach
Mick Regan's squad will wrap up the 2018 season on Sunday, October 28. Wisconsin-Whitewater will visit Thorson-Lucken for a 7:00 match with the Viking-Warhawk Cup on the line. Regan's program captured the cup with a 2-1 win in 2016 and kept it following last year's 0-0 tie.
