Box Score
GAMBIER, Ohio – Kenyon College hosted round one of the North Coast Athletic Conference men's soccer tournament on Wednesday afternoon and delivered its second-straight positive result against Oberlin College, this time earning a spot in the conference's championship game. The Lords got the better of Yeomen in another physical, defensive battle. The final score favored Kenyon, 1-0, and propels the Lords into the NCAC championship match this Saturday.
In similar fashion to last week's regular-season finale, the Lords controlled much of the first half by outshooting the Yeomen, 15-6. Jeremiah Barnes played the hero with the game-winning goal in the 23rd minute of the contest.
The goal was generated when Oberlin goalkeeper Brandt Rentel played the ball out to midfield, where a Yeomen foul stopped play and allowed Kenyon to reorganize. Lewis Williams-Gray lofted the ball to the near-side corner for Tony Amolo who began to penetrate before dumping it off to Nate Petrou from about 10 yards out. Petrou took a shot that was knocked down before getting to the goal, but the loose ball created a stir and Jordan Glassman kept it alive for the Lords by tipping it out to Barnes, who took position on the 18-yard line for the shot. He then cannoned a shot that beat Rentel to his right and gave Kenyon the lead. The goal was Barnes' fourth of the season and proved to be all the Lords would need.
Kenyon (14-3-3) nearly doubled its lead and added style points in the 82nd minute when Sam Justice missed on a
point-blank opportunity stemming from another loose ball. Barnes took the last of Kenyon's five corners and place it where no player could directly make a play on it. Justice came in from outside the box and stationed up on the near post, but his shot rocketed well high of the crossbar. At this point, the wind had been taken out of Oberlin's sails and the Yeomen managed just one more shot the rest of the way.
The win grants Kenyon access to the NCAC Tournament's championship game, which will be played on Saturday at top-seeded Ohio Wesleyan University. Kickoff has been set for 7 p.m.
The Lords held the advantage over the Yeomen in shots taken, 15-6, evenly distributing their offense between the two halves. Petrou led the team with four shot attempts, while Barnes followed closely behind with three. Sam Clougher made one save, as just one of Oberlin's six shots was on goal.
Oberlin, playing in its first postseason since 2006, fell to 13-3-4, the program's best record since the 1989 season. John Ingham and Joe Graybeal each had two shot attempts to lead Oberlin while Rentel made five saves in the losing effort.
