Carthage College Athletics

KENOSHA, Wis. — The Carthage College men's soccer team opened the 2026 season in convincing fashion Tuesday night, defeating Marian University (Wis.) 4-0 at Art Keller Field. The Firebirds jumped out to an early two-goal advantage, added another just before halftime, and closed the night with a late goal to secure the shutout victory. The four-goal performance marked Carthage's most goals in a season opener since the spring 2021 season, while head coach Mike Madigan earned his first victory at the helm of the Firebirds.

• Final Score: Carthage 4 - Marian (Wis.) 0
• Location: Kenosha, Wisconsin - Art Keller Field
• Records: Carthage 1-0, Marian (Wis.) 0-1 

• Carthage wasted little time setting the tone, scoring twice in the opening 11 minutes. Theron Miceli opened the scoring at 9:18 off an assist from Dominic Gadalinski, giving the Firebirds an early 1-0 lead.
• Just 1:12 later, Gadalinski doubled the advantage with a strike from 20 yards out at 10:30, putting Carthage ahead 2-0.
• With just two seconds remaining before halftime, Carthage added another. Kevin Sarazin headed home a long throw-in from Jordan Mok at 44:59, sending the Firebirds into the break with a 3-0 lead.
• Carthage continued to control possession and create scoring opportunities throughout the second half, while the Marian goalkeeper made several saves to keep the deficit from growing.
• The Sabres generated a few opportunities of its own in the second half, but Malinowski continued to keep the clean sheet intact for the Firebirds.
• Carthage eventually added its fourth goal late in the contest. Miceli found the back of the net again at 86:43, with his shot getting through Hall's hands and trickling across the goal line to cap the scoring at 4-0.
• The Firebirds finished the night with a 20-7 advantage in shots and held an 8-1 edge in shots on goal. Carthage also earned five corner kicks compared to one for Marian.

• Theron Miceli led the Firebirds with two goals, including the opening goal of the season and Carthage's final goal of the night.
• Dominic Gadalinski finished with a goal and an assist, contributing to two of Carthage's three first-half goals.
• Kevin Sarazin added a goal just before halftime, while Jordan Mok recorded an assist on the play.
• Owen Malinowski played all 90 minutes in goal and recorded one save while earning the shutout.
• Carthage's four goals marked the program's most in a season opener since the spring 2021 season.
• Carthage finished with 20 shots, including eight on goal, while limiting Marian to seven total shots and just one shot on target.

"Great team win to get our season off to a good start. Whether it's top upperclassmen leading or quality underclassmen performing, we're proud of the guys and excited to get ready for Illinois Tech on Thursday."

• Carthage plays IIT for its first road contest of the season on Saturday, September 3, at 7 p.m.