Battling Bishops & Owls Advance in NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament

In the first round of the NCAA Division III men’s soccer tournament, No. 17 Kenyon (16-4-0) defeated Dominican (IL) (14-4-3), 2-0, while Ohio Wesleyan (13-5-1) earned a 2-0 victory over Rose-Hulman (12-6-3). The Owls and Battling Bishops advance to the second round which will be played on Sunday, November 12. Kenyon will take on No. 18 Washington Col. (12-2-5) at 1:00 p.m., while Ohio Wesleyan will face No. 21 U. Chicago (10-2-5) at 2:00 p.m.

In the first-round matchup in Gambier, neither team would net a goal in the first 45 minutes of action. Kenyon’s offense outshot Dominican 7-1, earning three corners to the Stars one through the first half. The two teams would trade shots, before Alem Duratovic (Deerfield, IL/Adlai E. Stevenson) would tally the first goal of the game at 50:28, giving Kenyon a 1-0 lead. The two teams would trade shots and corner kicks through the next 16 minutes of play. Duratovic would give Kenyon the 2-0 advantage with his second goal of the game at the 68:55 mark for the first-round victory. Kenyon outshot Dominican 17-8, with eight shots on frame, while the Stars put three shots on goal, all of which Jack Pedreschi (Shirley, MA/Groton School) would stop to earn the shutout win between the pipes. 

In Chicago, Rose-Hulman would record the first two shots of the game, but it was the Battling Bishop offense that would prove to be more potent. After a foul in the box, Jaggar Brooker (Powell, OH/Olentangy Liberty) would convert on a penalty kick to give OWU a 1-0 advantage heading into halftime. The Bishops outshot the Fightin’ Engineers 7-4 in the first 45 minutes of action, and put three shots on goal compared to Rose-Hulman’s one. Christopher Guerra (Columbus, OH/Worthington Kilbourne) would tack on an insurance goal for Ohio Wesleyan, finding the back of the net just 3:23 into the second half. OWU ended the game with six corner kicks and 12 shots, while Rose-Hulman tallied eight shots and earned four corners. Ohio Wesleyan goalkeeper Mason Taylor (Marysville, OH/Marysville) made two saves in the shutout victory.

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