Box Score WHEATON, Ill.  – The Kenyon College Lords posted goals at the start of each half Friday night and eliminated Ohio Northern University in the first round of the NCAA Division III men's soccer tournament. With goals scored by Sam Justice and Jeremiah Barnes, the Lords were able to upend the Polar Bears, 2-0, and advance in the tournament to play the host Wheaton College Thunder on Saturday evening.

By the numbers, Ohio Northern held the advantage in most of the offensive categories, however, the only numbers that truly mattered were the ones in which Kenyon graded higher, that being goals scored.

Recently named All-NCAC first team defenseman Sam Justice scored his second goal of the season just four minutes into the contest to give Kenyon an early 1-0 edge. After a foul was called on the Polar Bears on the far side of the field, Kenyon's Rei Mitsuyama and Jeremiah Barnes both hovered over the ball awaiting the free kick. After Barnes passed over it, Mitsuyama put it in the air from outside the box. The cross and the header attempt were beautifully played as Justice redirected it to the right side of the cage for the score.

With an early lead, Kenyon used its offense to serve as a form of defense and kept applying the pressure. When called upon, freshman goalkeeper Sam Clougher made four saves in the opening half to keep the Polar Bears off of the board. It wasn't until the waning minutes of the contest that Ohio Northern was able to truly deliver its first quality chances to score.

In similar fashion to their start of the game, the Lords exited the halftime break with a full head of steam and went for their second goal of the match. Less than seven minutes into the second half, Alistair Flynn bombed the ball forward where NCAC Newcomer of the Year Tony Amolo kept pushing into Polar Bear territory. Amolo, now deep in the box, could not get ONU goalkeeper Evan Bader to bite so he played it back to Barnes who finished the job and went to the left post for the goal.

With time now against it, Ohio Northern began quickening the pace and advancing more physically into the Lords' side of the field. Clougher made six additional saves in the second half, including three in the final three minutes. More impressive in frustrating the ONU offense was a pair of team saves made by the defense in succession in the 80th minute. Austin Horton and Dustin Lorenzo both had their short-range shots denied, which to many looked like a sure goal.  

The Lords weren't without a bit of luck when just a few moments later the Polar Bears' Keegan Ross tried to chip a shot over Clougher and instead hit the crossbar before it bounced back out and was recovered by the freshman keeper. The Lords did enough to stave off the ONU attack and completed their 10th shutout of the season.

The win now sets the Lords up with a second-round match with Wheaton, who defeated Thomas More College, 2-1, in the match preceding Kenyon's. The Thunder won the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) to earn their automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Tournament and possess a 17-3-2 overall record. The Lords and the host Thunder will meet at Joe Bean Stadium for a 5 p.m. (CST) kickoff. Live video and live stats will be provided by Wheaton College, while live audio will be provided by the Kenyon Sports Connection.