OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – The No. 15 ranked Johnson County men's soccer team opened its 2023 season in Arizona and came away with a split in their two matches. On Friday night the Cavaliers put up strong effort against Phoenix College, the No. 4 ranked team in the country, falling 4-2. They rebounded with a 6-1 blowout at Scottsdale Community College on Sunday afternoon.
Sophomore forward Jacksyn McIntyre (Blue Springs, MO.) picked up where he left off last year, netting three goals over the weekend. He scored both goals in the loss at Phoenix, finding the back of the net in the 15th and 57th minutes, and the first goal in the 10th minute at Scottsdale.
Sophomore transfer midfielder Tre Smith (Parkville, Mo.) was credited with three assists in the win over the Artichokes, marking just the 23rd time in program history for a player to have three or more assists in a match.
Freshman midfielder/forward Monty Almaliky (Wichita, Kan.) had an assist on McIntrye's first goal against the Bears in the season opener, and was credited with the game winner at Scottsdale, netting his first collegiate goal, the team's second, in the 30th minute.
Freshman midfielder Brian Alleman (Goddard, Kan.) provided the assist on JCCC first score and netted his first goal in the 78th minute for a three-point effort.
Rounding out scoring for JCCC against Scottsdale was sophomore midfielder Ryan Masterson (Overland Park, Kan.) with a penalty kick in the 57th minute, sophomore midfielder/forward Owen White (Oak Grove, Mo.) in the 81st minute and freshman defender Jacob Brueckner (Spring Hill, Kan.) in the 83rd minute.
Freshman Brody Macoubrie (De Soto, Kan.) got the start in net both matches, finishing 1-1 with nine total saves.
The Cavaliers open their home slate on Friday, August 25 at 7 p.m., when the host No. 17 Indian Hills followed by a 1:30 p.m. start against Hawkeye on Sunday, August 27.
"I thought this weekend was a great opportunity for us to play nationally ranked opponents, on the road, in hostile environments, and see how we stack up," said JCCC head coach Jeff Cole. "Friday night against No. 4 Phoenix College we competed well but made a few technical errors. When you make those mistakes against good teams, they will capitalize against you and make you pay, and that's exactly what Phoenix did. Sunday against Scottsdale we regrouped and played some good soccer. I thought the fact that we had 6 different goal scorers was incredible. Showed that we were willing to make the extra pass to set up our teammate for success. Overall great experience for the boys to bond and build chemistry off the field that will hopefully carry over to the field. Now we need to get ready for our home opener vs a great side in Indian Hills Friday."