GAMBIER, Ohio -- The first North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) matchup for the Kenyon College and DePauw University men's soccer teams was a competitive and exciting affair. The Owls prevailed in the rematch of last season's NCAC Tournament opener, topping the Tigers 3-2 to start the conference slate.
Kenyon's home faithful were treated to another great game as the Owls improved to 4-0-1 when playing on Mavec Field this season. Overall, Kenyon, ranked No. 4 in the nation, ran its record to an unbeaten 7-0-3 mark and continued its dominant stretch against NCAC foes as the program got its NCAC Championship defense off to a great start. On the other side, DePauw fell to 6-3-2 (0-1-0 NCAC).
The conference clash came with everything a soccer fan would want as both teams stuffed the stat sheet in the first half. Those first 45 minutes featured combined totals of five goals, six assists, 13 shots, seven corner kicks, two yellow cards, and 16 fouls as the teams went at each other early and often.
DePauw and Kenyon each took four shots over the first 25 minutes, but the Owls jumped out to an early lead after putting all four of their shots on goal while the Tigers' attempts were all off target. A few minutes after seeing a goal get waved off due to an offside call, Kenyon got on the board thanks to a beautiful passing display. Seniors Gerardo Martinez and Victor Bravo III earned assists after making great passes through the DePauw defense, and first-year Lawrence Taylor capped off the sequence with his first career goal in the 17th minute.
A few minutes later, Jacob Lazarus landed another blow that doubled Kenyon's lead. The senior continued his breakout season, scoring for the fifth time in six games after rocketing a loose ball into the net after a DePauw defender launched his clear attempt into a disruptive Justin Buchwalter.
Kenyon's 2-0 lead did not last long as the Tigers scored 51 seconds later on a set piece that put the visitors on the board. The same formula worked for DePauw again late in the half after a corner kick bounced off a Kenyon defender and into the net, giving Jack Pedreschi no shot at a save on a second straight Tigers score.
The Owls had an answer, however, as the home team reclaimed the lead just 64 seconds after the Tigers tied it up, scoring in the 43rd minute. Sophomore Robert Little lofted a pass into the box that Hamza Kromah got his head on, and the first-year's header went right to his classmate Lucas de Alarcon, who tapped in his first career goal to reinstate Kenyon's lead.
The goal stood as the game-winner as neither team kept up the torrid first-half scoring in the second frame. Kenyon's defense held DePauw without a shot on goal in four tries over the final half, while the Owls kept the pressure on with six second-half shots that included four shots on goal. The teams were separated by just one total shot attempt throughout the game, but 10 of Kenyon's 12 looks were on target compared to just three of 11 shots on goal for the Tigers.
Kenyon has a pair of tough tests on deck this week as the team continues into its NCAC schedule. The Owls head to Ohio Wesleyan University (5-3-2, 0-0-1 NCAC) on Wednesday, October 9, to take on the Battling Bishops before hosting No. 17-ranked Denison University (6-1-3, 1-0-0 NCAC) and celebrating Kenyon's Senior Day on Saturday, October 12.
