Denison, Kenyon & OWU Advance in NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament

With two victories and a tie on the day, Denison (13-1-6), Kenyon (13-3-4) and Ohio Wesleyan (12-4-3) all advance in the NCAA Division III men’s soccer tournament.

In first round matchups, the Big Red collected a 5-1 victory over Anderson (IN) (8-8-5), while the Battling Bishops defeated Catholic (10-5-6) 2-1. In a second round game, the Owls and Hamilton (8-6-4) ended double overtime tied 2-2, before Kenyon earned the 4-3 advantage in penalty kicks to advance. 

Denison and Ohio Wesleyan will compete in the second round on Sunday, November 17, as the Big Red will take on Ohio Northern (14-3-4) at 3:00 p.m. in Granville, Ohio, while the Battling Bishops will face Mary Washington (18-1-2) at 1:00 p.m. in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Kenyon will await the winner of the Connecticut Col. vs. Franklin & Marshall second round matchup, which will take place on Sunday, November 17, at 1:00 p.m.

DENISON (13-1-6) 5, ANDERSON (IN) (8-8-5) 1
  • In the first-round matchup in Granville, the first shot of the game was not taken until the 15th minute by Denison. The Big Red would take three more shots, followed by the first score of the game at 23:44. Denison junior Zarius Eusebe (Wilton, CT/Wilton) would net the first goal thanks to an assist by senior Jake Krueger (Wilmette, IL/New Trier Township), giving the Big Red a 1-0 advantage.
  • Krueger would then net a goal of his own less than four minutes later, for the 2-0 edge.
  • Denison would outshoot Anderson 15-0 in the first half, while also earning the only three corners of the half.
  • The Big Red would extend their lead to 3-0 in the 57th minute thanks to Krueger setting up sophomore Eli Taylor (Henrico, VA/St. Christopher's School) for the score.
  • Eleven minutes later Denison junior Phil Koutsaftis (Mamaroneck, NY/Mamaroneck) would get in on the action, netting the Big Red's fourth goal at the 68:01 mark, thanks to senior Niko Argyros (Barrington, IL/Barrington) setting him up.
  • Anderson was able to find the back of the net in the 80th minute to cut the deficit to 4-1, before Denison responded in the 83rd minute with the final goal of the game by senior Doyle Catlin (New Canaan, CT/New Canaan), who was assisted by junior Phil Koutsaftis (Mamaroneck, NY/Mamaroneck).
OHIO WESLEYAN (12-4-3) 2, CATHOLIC (10-6-5) 1
  • In the first-round matchup in Fredericksburg, Catholic would put the first two shots on the board three minutes into the game. However, OWU would be the first to find the back of the net at 6:33, thanks to a goal by senior Franklin Rodriguez (Santiago, Dominican Republic/Berkshire (MA)) who was set up by classmate Jaggar Brooker (Powell, OH/Olentangy Liberty).
  • The half would end with OWU up 1-0, however, the Cardinals outshot the Battling Bishops 8-5.
  • The two teams would trade shots, before Ohio Wesleyan would add an insurance goal at 55:13, thanks to first-year Alex Bucher (Centerville, OH/Centerville) setting up Rodriguez for his second score of the game. 
  • Less than 10 minutes later, the Cardinals would cut the deficit in half with a header that found the back of the net. 
  • The OWU defense had to pack it in for the remainder of the game, as Catholic would take seven more shots. The Cardinals were unable to find the equalizer before time expired. 
  • Ohio Wesleyan junior goalkeeper Sam Whitman (Baltimore, MD/Friends School of Baltimore) would record four saves in the first-round victory.
KENYON (13-3-4) 2, HAMILTON (8-6-4) 2 (2OT - KEN 4-3 PK Adv.)
  • In the second-round matchup in Gambier, neither team would record a shot until the 17th minute of action, as Hamilton found the back of the net for the 1-0 advantage.
  • Kenyon responded less than six minutes later with the equalizer, thanks to first-year Hayato Ishii (Mexico City, Mexico/Westtown School) setting up classmate Lawrence Taylor (Bong County, Liberia/Westminster School) for a goal, knotting the game at 1-1.
  • Over the next 12 minutes, the Continentals would take two shots to the Owls one, before Hamilton would net the go-ahead goal at 39:21 and end the half up 2-1.
  • The second half would see Hamilton outshoot Kenyon 6-5 through 43 minutes of action, before senior Alem Duratovic (Deerfield, IL/Adlai E. Stevenson) would earn the Owls their sixth shot, the equalizer that was set up by senior goalkeeper Jack Pedreschi (Shirley, MA/Groton School) which evened the score at 2-all with just 1:38 remaining in the game. 
  • After two scoreless overtime periods, the game moved into penalty kicks. 
  • Kenyon seniors Gerardo Martinez (Houston, TX/J. Frank Dobie), Eamon Dujakovich (Lenexa, KS/Shawnee Mission West) and Duratovic, and 2024 NCAC Newcomer of the Year Justin Buchwalter (Houston, TX/Shattuck-St.Mary's School) would convert their pk’s, while sophomore goalkeeper Owen Boukalik (Northville, MI/Northville) would make two stops in net for the 4-3 advantage.

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