Tartan soccer wins season finales

Both the Carnegie Mellon University men’s and women’s soccer teams won their season finale at home on Saturday versus the Spartans of Case Western Reserve University. With their 3–1 win over the Spartans (ranked eighth), the men’s soccer team (ranked 23rd) finished 11–4–2 on the season and 3-4 in University Athletic Association (UAA) play. On the women’s side, the Tartans defeated the Spartans 2-1 to finish the season with an 8–8–1 record and 1–6 in UAA play.

In the first match of the day against the Spartans, the Tartan men’s squad kicked off the scoring early. In the ninth minute, a corner kick by senior Anthony Gulli from the right side of the pitch was headed back by junior Jacob Moskovitz. Then, junior Jack Painter chested the ball off the header into the back of the net while the Spartans keeper was on the opposite side of the goal.

But the Tartans didn’t stop there. Three minutes later in the 12th minute, after a Spartans header went off the mark, junior Elliot Cohen intercepted the ball at the penalty arc and slotted the ball into the goal. It was his eighth goal on the season, increasing the score to 2–0.

In the 35th minute, Cohen shot a free kick into the box, and junior Alex Dziadosz put the ball into the net off a Spartan header. The Tartans’ 3–0 lead in the first half proved to be insurmountable. The Spartans ended the shutout and got on the scoreboard with a goal in the 43rd minute, but a scoreless second half sealed the win for the Tartans.

The Tartan women’s soccer team took the pitch after the first match, and just like the men’s squad, began the scoring early in the first half. In the 10th minute, the Tartans went up 1–0 after senior Kaily Bruch scored off a pass from sophomore Taylor Cammarata.

The Spartans evened the score to 1–1 in the 63rd minute, but the Tartans responded five minutes later with the go-ahead goal and eventual game-winning goal. Junior Tara Durstewitz received the ball from downfield and passed it to sophomore Kristen Chong, who sent the ball right back to Durstewitz. She took two dribbles and easily finished the sequence past the Spartans’ goalkeeper in the back of the net. The match finished with the Tartans winning 2–1.

With Saturday’s wins, both the men’s and women’s teams completed their 2018 seasons on high notes. This season, the men’s side improved on their 2017 record, winning one more match. On the women’s side, this 2018 season was a decline from their 2017 record, which was 15–3–4. With this season finale win, the women’s soccer team moved to finish with a .500 record. This is the first season since 2010 they haven’t finished with a winning season. But in 2019, both teams will look to improve and ultimately earn spots in the postseason.