GAMBIER, Ohio -- For the third time in as many games, the Kenyon College men's soccer team prevailed on their home pitch in a postseason matchup. This time, playing as the away team on Mavec Field in the 'Sweet 16,' the Owls defeated Washington and Lee University 3-1 to advance to the 'Elite Eight' round of the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament.

It is the third time that Head Coach Chris Brown has guided Kenyon to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals and the program's fifth 'Elite Eight' appearance overall. The program advanced to the tournament's third weekend in consecutive seasons in 2015 and 2016; the furthest Kenyon has gone over Brown's tenure.

Kenyon's path to the 'Elite Eight' was not secured through 45 minutes against W&L as each team tallied just one shot on goal. The Generals took seven shots to the Owls' six, but neither team could break through.

That changed quickly in the second half when Kenyon needed just one minute and 26 seconds to take the lead. Sebastian Gaese maintained his mantle as one of Kenton's primary catalysts and ignited an attack after winning a loose ball at midfield. From there, the forward raced up the field and drew the attention of the entire Generals back line, allowing Gerardo Martinez to sneak in behind the defense. The sophomore midfielder took a pass from Gaese, juked out a diving W&L defender, and fired a goal into the top left corner to put the Owls ahead in the 47th minute.

It was Martinez's third goal this season and Gaese's ninth assist, but the big forward from Frankfurt am Main, Germany, wasn't done dishing out dimes. A few possessions later in the 51st minute, Gaese collected a clearance in the center circle from Luke Muther, flicking the mid-air ball over the head of W&L's defense and toward a streaking Sam Carson. Carson turned on the jets, sped past the Generals to possess the ball at the edge of the box, and set up a one-on-one against the W&L keeper. After missing on a few similar opportunities earlier in the game, the senior striker found his mark on this attempt, slicing the ball into the bottom left corner past the diving keeper to double Kenyon's lead thanks to Gaese's team-leading 10th assist.

However, the two-goal lead was short-lived, as Washington and Lee showed why they are ranked No. 9 in the D3soccer.com poll and No. 22 in the United Soccer Coaches (USC) Top 25. The Generals beat the Kenyon defense down the left side and connected on a long pass to switch the field deep in Owls' territory. From there, Grant McCarty drove into the heart of the Kenyon defense and drew them in before dumping a ball off to Weyimi Agbeyegbe, who scored his team-leading 16th goal to cut the deficit in half at the 56:39 mark.

Agbeyegbe, who had some very narrow misses in the first half, forced Jack Pedreschi to make a save in the 64th minute after a few dangerous free kicks deep in Kenyon territory. The Generals kept the pressure on and took nine unanswered shots over a stretch of 10 and a half minutes, but Pedreschi held firm with two saves, and the Owls' defense maintained their advantage.

In the 77th minute, Kenyon got some much-needed breathing room. After ending a W&L attack, the Owls pushed up the field and had Isaac Cortez and Atli Hrafnkelsson headed straight toward the goal. Cortez drove down the middle and drew the defense in before passing left to Hrafnkelsson. The senior gave it back to the freshman on a beautiful give-and-go that ended with Cortez connecting from just inside the box to put Kenyon ahead 3-1.

The Owls locked in and allowed just one off-target shot for the rest of the game, clinching an 'Elite Eight' appearance on their home field less than 24 hours after this victory. Kenyon, ranked No. 3 by the USC and No. 5 in the D3soccer.com poll, will face Williams college in the quarterfinal matchup on Mavec Field. The Owls (19-1-1) will be going for their 20th win, while the Ephs (8-1-11) are looking to continue a tournament run against ranked opponents. Williams beat No. 11 Ohio Northern University 1-0 on Mavec before Kenyon's contest, and the Ephs made it to the 'Sweet 16' after upsetting No. 1 Messiah University on penalty kicks, 4-3, after neither team scored through 110 minutes of action.

Kenyon will be listed as the away team once again despite playing on their home field, and the game will kick off at 1 p.m. The winner of Sunday's matchup will advance to the NCAA semifinal round, the 'Final Four,' which will be played in Salem, Virginia, on Friday, Dec. 2.