GAMBIER, Ohio -- The Kenyon College men's soccer team put its first tally in the win column after handing Hanover College a 1-0 win on Mavec Field on Friday night.

The No. 5-ranked Owls improved to 1-2 on the young season, while the Panthers fell to 1-2. The win was the first for first-year head coach Travis Wall at Kenyon after the Owls opened the season with two tough top-25 matchups.

Kenyon dominated possession and compiled significant advantages in both shots and corner kicks, but the Owls had a hard time breaking through against Hanover's defense. Despite outshooting the Panthers 22-7 overall, including a 14-5 first-half margin, Hanover held the Owls scoreless for over 80 minutes.

Hanover's defense blocked multiple dangerous Kenyon attempts, leading to only four of the Owls' 22 looks to be on target. The first on-goal attempt came from Joey Martens in the 31st minute, the only on-target look of the first half. Still, Kenyon had a handful of chances that could have found the mark, including a couple over a five-shot stretch near the end of the opening period.

After a scoreless first 45 minutes, the second half played out much like the first. Kenyon kept the pressure on the Panthers' half of the pitch, but Hanover held firm despite increased physicality and intensity as the clock wound down.

Martens managed another shot on goal in the 63rd minute, but Hanover had the game's most dangerous look to that point a few minutes later. Hanover's Omar Dizdar broke free down the left side and got the angle for a slicing shot he sent towards the top-middle of the net. Fortunately for Kenyon, Jack Pedreschi's long reach allowed the goalkeeper to get a hand on the ball and send it over and off the crossbar to maintain a clean slate.

The defensive stand was key as Kenyon's pressure prevailed in the 80th minute. After the Owls earned a free kick deep in Panthers territory, Joaquin Sanchez-Korenfeld put a header on goal, resulting in a Kenyon corner kick. The Owls played it in from the left side, where Vic Bravo brought the ball deep into the box before sending a cross to the front of the goal. The ball found Alem Duratovic, the Owls' leading scorer last season, who made a move, regained control, and fired a mid-air shot off his right foot into the bottom-right of the net.

The goal, scored in the 81st minute, was Duratovic's first this season and stood as the margin of victory for the game. The Owls' defense clinched the win as Pedreschi added another nice save and helped Kenyon turn away consecutive corner kicks in the game's final minute.

Kenyon will return to Mavec Field in short order as the Owls look to make it two in a row. Kenyon welcomes No. 14-ranked St. Olaf College (1-1), where Wall coached for the last four seasons, for a 1 p.m. match on Sunday, September 10.