Jonny McCarthy: Webster’s latest defensive star
ST. LOUIS — The Webster University Gorloks men’s soccer program has had quite a week.
In addition to Noah Abraham being selected as the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletics Conference Offensive Player of the Week, his teammate, midfielder and defender Jonny McCarthy, was selected as the SLIAC Defensive Player of the Week for Oct. 4-10.
This is the first time McCarthy has earned the Defensive Player of the Week award.
And he certainly has earned the honor. He’s off to a solid start in the 2021 campaign. He played a key role in the Gorloks’ wins on Oct. 6 and Oct. 9.
Primarily playing at the center back position, he was a big part of a back line that did not allow a single goal for a total of 180 minutes in play in those two games. He’s also played a major role in Webster’s eight shutouts to start the season.
A junior out of Hazelwood West High School, McCarthy has a history of solid play on the defensive side. In his freshman year of high school, he was named Defensive Player of the Year while serving as a captain on the freshman team.
The accolades would only continue to grow from there. Though it’s his defense that is being recognized as of late, he’s certainly no slouch on offense.
He took off again in his junior year of high school. As a member of the JV team, he once again served as a team captain. During that season, McCarthy scored four goals and racked up nine assists. He also earned Rookie of the Year and MVP honors.
His senior year was undoubtedly his best while playing at Hazelwood West High. He continued to hone his craft, emerging as one of the team’s best offensive players. A team captain for the third time, McCarthy went on a tear, scoring 19 goals while also matching his high from the previous year in assists with nine as he was named MVP once again. He also earned First-Team Suburban XII All-District honors in two of his seasons at Hazelwood West.
McCarthy even played club soccer for over nine years with Lou Fusz Carron. He was a member of four Lou Fusz Carron teams that went on to become State Cup finalists.
McCarthy is quite an impressive student as well. He earned a spot on the Suburban XII Academic All-Conference team twice. And he’s carried that into college as well. He’s currently a biology major with a minor in French.
Like his teammate Abraham, McCarthy has played a big role in the Gorloks’ success and will be a key piece going forward as the Gorloks look to chase down their second straight conference title.
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