GAMBIER, Ohio -- The Kenyon College men's soccer program has a chance to advance to the 'Final Four' of the NCAA DIII Men's Soccer Tournament for the third time (1993, 1996) in program history with two wins on Mavec Field this weekend. The Owls must first focus on a tough test in the 'Sweet 16' against Washington and Lee University at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19.
The NCAA Tournament returns to Gambier for the second consecutive weekend after Kenyon hosted the first two rounds last Friday and Saturday. The Owls withstood rain and snow on back-to-back days while defending their home field against Greenville University and Calvin University. Kenyon outscored its opening-round foes by a combined 10-1 mark, winning 6-1 against Greenville before a 4-0 shutout against Calvin, who was ranked No. 6 in the D3soccer.com Top 25 and No. 17 by the United Soccer Coaches (USC) poll.
The Owls hold the nation's No. 3 ranking in the USC poll, which ran through the end of the regular season, and sit at No. 5 in the D3soccer.com rankings after sliding from third following a tough loss in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Tournament Championship.
Washington and Lee University presents another difficult hurdle: the Generals are ranked No. 9 in the D3soccer.com Top 25 and No. 22 by the USC poll. W&L carries a 16-2-4 mark into its matchup with Kenyon. The Generals advanced to the 'Sweet 16' after a 5-1 win against Brevard College and a 5-2 win over Muhlenberg College. W&L and Kenyon are two of the three teams to score 10 goals in this year's NCAA Tournament and the only two teams to score four or more goals in each game. After an 11-2-4 regular-season campaign, the Generals earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after winning the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Tournament.
Kenyon has compiled an 18-1-1 overall record after finishing the regular season with an undefeated 15-0-1 mark. The Owls won the NCAC regular-season title after posting a 7-0-1 mark in conference play, winning the regular-season championship for a seventh consecutive season and the 13th time in program history. In the NCAC Tournament, Kenyon bested Wabash College 4-0 in the semifinal before falling 2-1 in the championship to Ohio Wesleyan University, the only team to avoid losing to the Owls this season after tying in the regular season. As a result, Kenyon's ninth straight NCAA Tournament appearance, and 18th overall, came after the Owls earned one of 21 at-large bids in the tournament field of 64.
The Owls have been one of the NCAA's best on both sides of the ball, boasting the second-best offensive output and eighth-best defensive total. Offensively, Kenyon has scored 3.60 goals per game, while their defense has allowed a 0.50 goals against average. The two-sided dominance has helped the Owls build the nation's second-best goal differential at plus-62, scoring 72 goals and allowing 10. The Owls have held 65 percent of their opponents scoreless, the third-best mark in DIII, and have secured 13 shutouts, tied for the fifth-highest total. After No. 1 Messiah University was knocked out of the NCAA Tournament in the second round, Kenyon's scoring and goal differential are the best in the remaining tournament field.
W&L is also amongst the nation's best when it comes to scoring and goal differential. The Generals score 3.05 goals per game, 10th in the country, and their plus-45 goal differential is tied for the seventh-best mark. W&L takes 21.5 shots per game while allowing 6.4, compared to 20.5 for and 7.3 against Kenyon. The 21.5 shots per game rank third nationally. Other areas in which the Generals rank in the top 10 in DIII include the third-best shots on goal per game mark (10.5) against Kenyon's seventh-best mark (9.80), sixth in assists per game (2.82), while the Owls rank 13th (2.55), and seventh in points per game (8.82) compared to Kenyon's 9.75 (third).
Saturday's matchup will be Kenyon's first time lining up against Washington and Lee on the pitch. The Owls and Generals did not share any common opponents this season, so both squads will look to find their footing against an unfamiliar foe.
Before Kenyon and W&L take the field for Saturday's second 'Sweet 16' match, Williams College (7-1-11) and Ohio Northern University (13-3-5) will face off at 11 a.m. on Mavec Field. Williams is designated as the home team against ONU after upsetting No. 1-ranked Messiah in the round of 32. After the game remained scoreless through full time and two overtime periods, the Ephs advanced after earning a 4-3 edge in penalty kicks. Ohio Northern also punched their ticket after prevailing on penalty kicks, edging out No.15-ranked North Park University 4-3 in PKs after a scoreless 110 minutes. The Polar Bears are ranked No. 11 in the USC poll and are receiving votes in the D3soccer.com Top 25.
Saturday's winners will square off at 1:30 p.m. in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinal on Sunday, Nov. 20, also on Mavec Field. Looking ahead at a potential 'Elite 8' matchup, Kenyon is 11-2-2 all-time against ONU, including a 6-2 win in this year's season opener. Conversely, this would be Kenyon's first time meeting Williams, as the Owls have never lined up against the Ephs. Meanwhile, it would be Washington and Lee's first time facing either Williams or ONU.
