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Kenyon College Athletics

Martinez_Gerardo_1MSOC23
Sejin Kim
1
DePauw DPU (7-7-4, 3-2-3)
3
Winner Kenyon KEN (15-3-0, 8-0-0)
DePauw DPU
(7-7-4, 3-2-3)
1
Final
3
Kenyon KEN
(15-3-0, 8-0-0)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
DePauw DPU 0 1 1
Kenyon KEN 0 3 3

Game Recap: Men's Soccer |

Owls down Tigers 3-1, advance to NCAC Final

GAMBIER, Ohio – The Kenyon College men's soccer team (15-3) is headed to the final match of the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Tournament as the Owls took down the DePauw University Tigers (7-7-4) by a score of 3-1 on a chilly Wednesday afternoon at Mavec Field. 

Despite an even 0-0 score in the first, the Owls offense exploded in the second half for three goals from Eamon Dujakovich, Max Thesing and Gerardo Martinez to give Kenyon the win. 

In the first, neither team could get anything going offensively, which is surprising as the Owls and Tigers rank first and second, respectively, in NCAC goals per game. Alem Duratovic for Kenyon and Alec McCarty for DePauw had decent chances to break open the scoring, but both shots were stopped by the opposing goalkeepers. At the end of the half, shots were tied 4-4, while Jack Pedreschi and Alexander Lundin each made one save. 

Less than a minute into the second half, the Owls broke through, as Martinez fielded a nice pass off a give-and-go from Joey Martens. Martinez rushed the net, crossed for Duratovic who deflected the pass to a wide open Dujakovich who buried the uncontested goal to give the Owls a 1-0 lead. The goal was Dujakovich's team- and conference-high eleventh of the season, breaking his tie with Duratovic. 

After the early goal, Kenyon noticeably gained momentum and controlled possession, as the Owls went on a 6-0 shot run where Duratovic and Isaac Cortez nearly added to the advantage. 

In the game's 71st minute, Thesing did just that, as a low-angle free kick from outside the box snuck through the legs of Lundin and into the back of the net for Thesing's first goal of the season, sending the Owls up 2-0 with less than 20 minutes to play. 

Three minutes later, Dujakovich drew a double-team in that same area where Thesing scored and threaded a pass to Martinez, who sent a rocket of a shot past the DePauw keeper for the Owls' third goal of the half. Martinez's goal was his first of the season, adding to his assist for a three-point game in the junior's second start and fourth game of the season coming back from injury. 

DePauw added a goal of its own five minutes later as Ethan Webster beat Pedreschi off of a pass from Samuel Rengglie, but the lone score was not enough to overcome Kenyon's advantage, ending the game 3-1. 

For the game, Kenyon outshot DePauw 14-6 and had a 7-2 advantage in shots on goal. Pedreschi ended the match with one save, while Lundin made four for the Tigers.

With the win, the Owls move to 15-3 on the season. They advance to the NCAC Championship for the tenth straight year, and will host the winner of the other semifinal game taking place tonight (Denison University vs. Ohio Wesleyan University) on Saturday at 12:00 pm at Mavec Field.

 
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