U.S. seminarians win opening soccer match amid prayers, high suspense

Published: 2007-03-05

ROME (CNS) -- The goal was a bullet into the net, and as his cheering teammates mobbed Daniel O'Mullane it seemed like a World Cup celebration. O'Mullane had just led Pontifical North American College to a dramatic first-round victory in the 16-team Clericus Cup, the soccer tournament exclusively for priests and seminarians in Rome. The North American College squad beat the highly touted Pontifical Urbanian University 4-3 March 3 in a shootout after regular time ended in a 0-0 tie. When O'Mullane made the final shot, pandemonium erupted among the 60 or so U.S. flag-waving fans who watched from the sidelines. "I felt some pressure. I'd never been in that position before," O'Mullane said after the match. The 25-year-old seminarian, a native of England and a naturalized U.S. citizen, is co-captain of the North American College squad, which calls itself the North American Martyrs. As Msgr. James F. Checchio, rector of the North American College, paced nearby, the teams lined up for the shootout of five kicks each. The first Martyrs shooter bounced one off the crossbar. Urbanian had the lead briefly, but one of its players sent a shot sailing over the net. Then with the shootout deadlocked at 2-2, Martyrs goalie Andrew Roza made a brilliant save, just getting a hand on a sharp skidding shot. O'Mullane's winning goal came two kicks later.

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