It was a successful night in terms of results for our Men’s Basketball and Women’s 5on5 Soccer teams last night. Not so much for our Men’s Soccer and Men’s 5on5 Soccer teams, but one thing was for sure: despite everything, all the teams showed to be real Gladiators and put their heart and soul into their respective games.

MEN’S BASKETBALL
JCU Men’s Basketball played and was able to win the craziest game ever, topping SMIT team at the very last minute.

What started as an impossible game for our Gladiators who came down to field with exactly five players on their rivals’ home turf, it actually turned out into an incredible game with JCU defeating SMIT, 78-75.

JCU immediately set the pace and was able to gain the upper hand over the opponents, thanks to Morrisroe‘s and Lacerda‘s numerous three-pointers.

“SMIT didn’t really have a pressing defense, which left a lot of space for us to create opportunities to score,” coach Serraino commmented. “Their moves on the offense were also quite predictable for us, and we didn’t find much trouble to contain their offensive strategies.”

At the end of the first quarter, JCU was leading the game with a partial result of 8-point difference. This gave more confidence to our Gladiators to face the second quarter.

The second quarter had a similar development to the previous one. However, JCU started to feel the tiredness of being only five players and started to commit a few more mistakes both in defense and offense. SMIT made up for some points, but our Gladiators were able to keep the advantage.

JCU player Kreitem mainly stood out in the third quarter thanks to his decisive and efficient three-point shots.

The beginning of the fourth quarter saw JCU still leading the game. However, tiredness started to take over, and our Gladiators began to collect many fouls. In particular, towards the end of the fourth quarter, our player Lacerda received four fouls and was expelled, leaving JCU with only four players. SMIT was able to exploit well JCU downturn and tied the result, forcing to the game to keep going to the overtime.

First half of the overtime was a head-to-head game. Despite JCU was playing with only four players, the team was able to maintain a good defense, and the first five minutes of the overtime ended in a draw.

But our Gladiators didn’t give up, and they were able to stand up to SMIT. In the second half of the overtime, JCU was able to create decisive occasions and score all of the free-throws that they earned, finally taking home an amazing and well-deserved victory!

“It was a great game! Every one played with strong commitment and passion, and they gave their best without ever losing the focus, also considering our shortage of players and our new entry Myles Taylor who had to adjust to our type of play,” Serraino concluded. “I am really proud of each one of them!”

Props to Mobley because he led our defense excellently and played some incredible moves, limiting SMIT chances to score. And special credits to Kreitem for playing the entire game without receving any fouls.

Congrats, Gladiators!

MVP – Luke Morrisroe

WOMEN’S 5on5 SOCCER
Great news also came from Trastevere Stadium and our JCU Women’s 5on5 Soccer team who easily won the first-round semifinals of the Universities of Rome Championship against The American Univesrity of Rome (AUR).

JCU defeated AUR, 12-2. Our Lady Gladiators gave us proof once again of their amazing talent and teamwork spirit.

JCU started off strong since the very first minutes of the game and was able to score immediately, closing the first half with a decisive advantage over AUR.

The opposing team tried to keep up with JCU, but all the efforts could not overcome our Lady Gladiators’ game skills and tactics.

“We played well without risking too much,” coach Farina commented at the end of the game. “We dominated the game from the beginning. Every one played and contributed to the victory of the team.”

In the second half, JCU kept scoring thanks to the goals of Keil (4), Moulton (4), Fox (2), and Cunningham (1).

Tomorrow, JCU will play again against AUR for the second-round semifinals, but our Lady Gladiators shouldn’t have any problems, and the qualification for the Finals is closer than ever.

Congratulations, ladies! Now keep working hard, and good luck for tomorrow!

MVP – Rachael Moulton

MEN’S SOCCER
At the same time, JCU Men’s Soccer was fighting for a spot in the semifinals on LUISS home turf.

Our Gladiators finally showed their best skills on the field and played an excellent game, but unfortunately, this was not enough to qualify for the semifinals.

The game ended 1-1, but due to the tournament regulations, LUISS stole the spot to our Gladiators because it had more points in the general ranking.

In the first half, JCU started low-key but was lucky not to receive any score from LUISS team.

However, in the second half, JCU reacted and played like they never did before. Thanks to an amazing action of the entire team, our defender Derks was able to score, taking JCU on the lead.

Towards the end of the game, though, a bad kick from LUISS player got rebounced in a wrong way by JCU, and the ball entered JCU goal post.

Unfortunately, the Universities of Rome Championship ended at the quartefinals this year, but our Gladiators left the field with their heads high, giving proof of their commitment, passion, and teamwork. We are sure that you will do great things in the next Season!

MVP – The entire team

MEN’S 5on5 SOCCER
Bad news came from Trastevere Stadium, too. While our Women’s 5on5 Soccer team was winning against AUR, JCU Men’s 5on5 Soccer team was suffering against the University of Foro Italico (UFI).

Our Gladiators lost 0-10 their first-round semifinals, making very complicated now to try earn the pass for the Finals in the second round.

“Excuses are for weak people, and there are no excuses to justify our game” JCU forward Andrea Palazzi commented. “But maybe, this time, a few unstable factors compromised the match.”

JCU came down to the field with numbered players, and most of them were also injured, so it was not easy to win such a difficult game with such a strong team.

At the moment, the chances to qualify for the Finals are really low, but never say never. We know you Gladiators, and we know that when the game gets tough, you pull out your best, so don’t give up just yet!

CHEERLEADING
Last but not least, we want to congratulate with our Cheerleading team for their amazing performance and support that they gave to our Gladiators during their games at Trastevere Stadium! Great job!