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Kenyon College Athletics

Hayato Ishii
Isoo OBrien
2
Winner Kenyon KENYON (12-2-3, 6-2-0)
1
Oberlin OBERLIN (5-10-2, 1-5-1)
Winner
Kenyon KENYON
(12-2-3, 6-2-0)
2
Final
1
Oberlin OBERLIN
(5-10-2, 1-5-1)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Kenyon KENYON 0 2 2
Oberlin OBERLIN 0 1 1

Game Recap: Men's Soccer |

Owls net last-second goal to oust Oberlin

OBERLIN, Ohio -- A banged-up Kenyon College men's soccer team made it to the regular-season finish line Wednesday night, recording an incredible 2-1 victory with a last-second goal at Oberlin College. 

Offensive opportunities were difficult to come by for both teams, but the final 18 minutes of the game provided plenty of drama.

Kenyon, ranked No. 14 and playing without three of its top-five scorers, kept Oberlin on its heels throughout the game. Even so, the Owls had a difficult time breaking through. They had a series of corner kicks in the first half, with one resulting in a header that just missed its mark, leaving the first 45 minutes to expire with a couple of goose eggs on the scoreboard.

It wasn't until the game's 72 minute that the stalemate was cracked. A pass from Kenyon first-year Justin Buchwalter found classmate Andrew Adams at the top of the Oberlin box, where he loaded up and took his shot. As the ball headed toward the goal, an Oberlin defender got a leg on it and deflected it enough that goalkeeper Grayson Benson had no chance.

With offense at a premium it seemed that one goal would be enough for the Owls, but the Yeomen had other ideas. In the game's 88th minute, Oberlin knotted things up. A mishandled ball by Kenyon eventually found its way to Oberlin's Xander Francoeur, who raced through the right side of the box and sent a perfect pass to the far post. Nathan Thompson, racing up the left side, got to the ball at the right time and punted it past Kenyon keeper Jack Pedreschi. That goal stopped the clock with just 2:32 left in the game.

Over the next two minutes both teams threatened, but failed to register the game-winner. With 4.4 seconds left, however, Oberlin fouled Kenyon at midfield. Pedreschi moved up to take the free kick and lofted it to the right side of the box, where senior Matt Nguyen headed it toward the goal. First-year Hayato Ishii somehow found a way to get to the ball and got a foot on it, kicking it over the goal line as time expired.

Both Adams' and Ishii's goals were their second of the season.

Kenyon held an 18-6 advantage in shots taken and also tallied an 11-3 spread in corner kicks.

The result pushed the Owls' overall record to 12-2-3 and their North Coast Athletic Conference record to 6-2-0. Additionally, the outcome made Kenyon a lock for the No. 3 seed in next week's four-team conference tournament. Saturday's game between Denison University and Ohio Wesleyan University will determine Kenyon's NCAC Tournament semifinal opponent. 

On the other side of the field, Oberlin's heartbreaking loss dialed back the Yeomen's records to 5-10-2 overall and 1-5-1 in conference contests.
 
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