DELAWARE, Ohio –
Dalton Eudy's goal in the first overtime lifted No. 5 Kenyon College to a 2-1 win over archrival Ohio Wesleyan University in the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament Championship game Saturday night at the Jay Martin Soccer Complex.
The win secured Kenyon's first-ever NCAC tourney title and marks the most wins (17) in the
Chris Brown era. It also snapped the Lords' three-match losing streak to the Battling Bishops in the NCAC tournament dating back to 2008.
OWU struck first in the match-up between the two powerhouses. Colton Bloecher, the Battling Bishops' leading scorer, headed home a pass from Brian Schaefer in the seventh minute for an early 1-0 lead.
The experienced Lords didn't panic though and found the equalizer in the 30th minute.
A corner from
Nate Petrou was headed by
Logan Ernst in the center of the box, deflected off an OWU defender, and
Woo Jeon finished with a header of his own to tie the match at 1.
That 1-1 score remained until halftime even as the Battling Bishops fired three more shots after Kenyon's tying goal.
In the second half, both team's offenses looked poised to find the back of the net. Ohio Wesleyan held a slim 12-9 advantage in shots but Kenyon goalie
Sam Clougher was steady recording three saves. His counterpart, Colin Beemiller, stopped a pair of Lords' shots.
The overtime session was controlled by Kenyon as it took five shots compared to none for OWU.
Eudy's goal in the 98th minute, his first of the season, came from the center of the box after a nifty move got him open. He fired to the right corner past Beemiller to bring the visitors their first NCAC tourney championship.
Kenyon out-shot Ohio Wesleyan 24-17 with 11 of those attempts on-goal. The Lords also had an 11-1 advantage in corner kicks.
The Lords will wait and see who their next opponent will be in the NCAA Tournament beginning November 13. The selection show is Monday, November 10 at 1:30 p.m.
The Lords captured their first-ever NCAC Tournament title with a 2-1 overtime win over archrival Ohio Wesleyan
Saturday, November 8 at the Jay Martin Soccer Complex. Kenyon will wait and see who they play next in the
upcoming NCAA Tournament which begins November 13.