GAMBIER, Ohio – Just seven days will separate the last meeting between the Kenyon College and Oberlin College men's soccer teams, but the residual emotions from last week's physical contest will resurface in Wednesday's rematch in the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament. The Lords wrapped up the regular season by defending the home field with a scoreless draw against the Yeomen, granting them the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament behind an undefeated conference record.
Wednesday marks the start of the 2013 NCAC Men's Soccer Tournament. Having earned the second seed of the four advancing teams, Kenyon (13-3-3, 6-0-3 NCAC) will host this week's semifinal round match against Oberlin (13-2-4, 5-1-3 NCAC) at Mavec Field. Depending on the results of the second semifinal match between two nationally-ranked teams (NSCAA) in top seed Ohio Wesleyan University and No. 4 seed DePauw University, they could host a second. The winner of both matches will meet on Saturday afternoon to battle for the NCAC Championship at the site of the highest remaining seed. Kickoff between the Lords and Yeomen is set for 2 p.m.
This week's matchup marks the first time these two teams have met in any form of postseason play. Last Wednesday the Yeomen and Lords played in an incredibly physical bout that ended in a nil-nil tie, keeping them in a standstill in the NCAC standings. Kenyon controlled the match, outshooting Oberlin by a 29-9 margin. Fifteen of the Lords' shots landed on goal, but Yeomen goalkeeper Brandt Rentel passed every test and kept the hosts out of the goal. Kenyon keeper Sam Clougher made four saves, but was kept relatively clean by the defense in front of him. Three yellow cards were handed out in last week's match and those will carry over to Wednesday. Two of those went against Oberlin, one to their leading scorer John Ingham, and the other to Nick Wertman. Kenyon's Lewis Williams-Gray drew a card, as well.
Kenyon possesses a multitude of potential scoring threats, led by freshman Tony Amolo and his team-best 10 goals and seven assists. Amolo had been on a tear leading into the previous Oberlin matchup after posting two goals and an assist against Hiram College and Wittenberg University in consecutive games. Those were his second and third multiple-goal matches of the season. He was limited to just two shots against the Yeomen, last week.
Jordan Glassman rides in with seven goals on the year, most of those coming in a three-game span against nonconference opponents in late-September. He had missed two weeks of action in October but returned against Hiram and played 64 minutes against Oberlin.
Rei Mitsuyama and Alistair Flynn each have six goals and post a severe outside scoring threat, as well as an innate ability to setup open teammates for scores. Together, the duo has eight assists between them. Flynn has three goals and an assist over his last three matches.
The Kenyon defense has been stifling over the last week and a half. After allowing 19 shot attempts to then-No. 1 Ohio Wesleyan, the Lords have nearly halted advancement by the opposition. Over the team's last three matches, Kenyon has allowed just 15 shots attempts (5.0 shots/game) and only seven of those have been on goal. In those games, the Lords have outscored their opposition 12-1. Helping in that effort has been freshman keeper Sam Clougher who has made 46 saves, allowed 13 goals in 18 games played, and posts a 0.76 goals-against average. His adds six shutouts this season, including three in his last four matches.
On the other side of the pitch, the Yeomen's defense has been equally impressive. Oberlin has averaged a tad over two goals per game while holding their opponents to just 15 over 19 games played (0.79 goals/game). They have not allowed a goal to their opponents in four of their last six matches.
The Yeomen are led by leading goal scorer John Ingham, who has scored 15 of the team's 39 goals this season. He has notched only two goals over his last four matches, both of those coming in a 3-1 win over Allegheny on Oct. 30. The next top scorer for Oberlin is Slade Gottlieb with his six goals on the year. Goalkeeper Brandt Rentel has made 83 saves, has nine shutouts, and posts a 0.75 goals-against average through 16 games played. He had never been tested so often until coming to Gambier and making 15 saves and facing 29 shots. Only Ohio Wesleyan came close with its 21 shot attempts a week earlier, where he made eight saves.
Oberlin is enjoying their best season since 1989, which is the last time the Yeomen had 10 or more wins in a season when they finished 11-5-2 overall and 5-3-0 in conference play.
Comparing the two teams based on common opponents, both Kenyon and Oberlin took NCAC champion Ohio Wesleyan to a 0-0 draw. However, the Yeomen did defeat nationally-ranked DePauw University 1-0 a little more than two weeks after the Lords drew a 0-0 tie with the Tigers. Of the three teams in the NCAC Tournament, Kenyon has taken 0-0 ties away from all three in the regular season.
The all-time series between the Yeomen and Lords boasts the slimmest of margins in Oberlin's favor, 30-31-10, since their first meeting in 1947. Since 2000, it has been all Kenyon. Over the last 13 years, the Lords have a 7-3-2 advantage over the Yeomen. The last time Oberlin beat Kenyon was in 2006 by a 3-0 score.
Live stats and live video will be provided for Wednesday's semifinal match against Oberlin. Ticket prices for the contest are $7 for an adult and $3 for children (18 and under). Admission is free for any student of an NCAC institution who presents a valid school ID at the gate.
