GAMBIER, Ohio – The No. 5-ranked Kenyon College Lords soccer team scored two early goals Tuesday and exacted a bit of revenge by waxing the Wabash College Little Giants, 3-0, in the semifinal round of the North Coast Athletic Conference tournament.

Wabash (13-3-3) came into the four-team tournament as the No. 3 seed and the only team to defeat Kenyon (16-1-1) this season. Back on October 18, the Little Giants posted a 1-0 home victory over the Lords, who were ranked No. 2 in the nation at the time.

Tuesday's win was a measure of revenge for the Lords, the tournament's No. 2 seed, and it pushed them into the championship game for the second time in as many seasons. The NCAC championship game will be played Saturday, but a site and an opponent are still to be determined. The other NCAC semifinal contest is between top-seeded Ohio Wesleyan University and No. 4-seeded DePauw University. If Ohio Wesleyan wins that game, the Lords will play in Delaware, Ohio on Saturday. If DePauw wins, the Lords will host the Tigers.

The Lords began paving the road to the championship game in the early stages against Wabash. Within the first ten minutes, Kenyon constructed a 2-0 lead. At the 6:46 mark, following a Wabash foul, senior Rei Mitsuyama sent in a free kick. The ball sailed to the left of the goal, where it deflected off a Wabash defender and over the goal line. One minute and 36 seconds later, Jordan Glassman battled for possession in the Wabash box. Once he gained it, he delivered a quick pass to sophomore Tony Amolo, who ripped his shot into the Little Giants' net.

That 2-0 lead turned out to be more than Kenyon would need. The Lords' defense allowed just six shots to Wabash. Only one of those shots was on goal and was saved by sophomore goalkeeper Sam Clougher, who established the Kenyon record for shutouts in one season. Clougher, who has 13 shutouts to his credit, surpassed the previous Kenyon record of a dozen shutouts set by Andy Kingston in the 1994 season.

In the second half, the Lords got one more goal from Amolo, which was his team-leading 15th of the season. In the game's 50th minute, junior Jeremiah Barnes took the ball down the right sideline. He bounced a pass over to Amolo, who chipped his shot over the head of charging goalkeeper Dayton Jennings.

Throughout the contest, Kenyon dominated possession. The Lords had a 7-1 edge in corner kicks and out-shot Wabash 17-6, forcing Jennings to make nine saves.