On This Date: Wolyniec’s Four-Goal Game Highlights Comeback Win in 1997 Opener

On This Date Presented by Belmont Realty
 
With the 2020 fall sports season canceled by the COVID-19 outbreak, we at Fordham have decided to dig back through our archives and provide our fans with content on some of the outstanding teams and student-athletes who have graced Rose Hill over the years
 
August 29, 1997 – Coming off an Atlantic 10 Championship in 1996, the Fordham men's soccer team opened the 1997 season with an incredible team performance and a spectacular individual effort, winning an overtime thriller 6-5 over Detroit-Mercy at the Jesuit Cup, hosted in Chicago.
 
The individual effort came from then junior John Wolyniec, who tied a school record with four goals in the game and then assisted on the game-winning goal by Todd Vieira in overtime.
 
The match started out fast for the Rams, jetting out to a 2-0 lead by the 15^th minute with Wolyniec netting both goals in the eighth and 15^th minutes.  Harris Tangaris and David Earle registered the assist on each goal, respectively.
 
After Detroit tied the game at two, Wolyniec recorded his third marker of the game in the 36^th minute on a penalty kick to put Fordham back on top, 3-2.

 
However, the seesaw affair continued with Detroit scoring in the 40^th and 48^th minute to take their first lead of the game at 4-3.
 
The Rams continued the high scoring affair with another penalty kick goal to tie the game at four with Todd Vieira recording the marker in the 56^th minute.
 
Just two minutes later, Detroit was awarded a penalty kick which was converted for a 5-4 lead.
 
The score remained that way until the 87^th minute when Wolyniec scored for the fourth time in the game to tie the game at five.  The marker tied the school record, which was set originally by Lenord Kelly in 1972 and matched by John Shannon and Keith Loeffler during the 1982 season.
 
The game went into overtime with Vieira netting his second marker of the game for the game-winner with Wolyniec recording the assist.  Both Wolyniec and Vieira were named to the Jesuit Cup All-Tournament Team, along with Anthony Tristani.
 
The four-goal game by Wolyniec was a precursor for the rest of the season, as he went on to lead the NCAA in goals (24) and points (54) for the 1997 season and earned Academic All-American honors.