GAMBIER, Ohio - The Kenyon College men's soccer team put together one of its most complete performances of the season, dominating both sides of the field en route to a 3-nil shutout victory over Wabash College on Tuesday afternoon at Mavec Field. With the win. The Owls improved to 5-3-6 overall and 1-2-2 in North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) play, while Wabash dropped to 6-10-0 and 2-4-0 in the conference.
 
The home team wasted little time making its presence felt. In the opening seconds of the game, the Owls nearly got on the board when junior Moustapha Gassama sent a through ball from midfield to first-year Danny Kankam on the right wing. Kankam used his pace to beat the fullback and sent a cross toward sophomore Ethan Castaneda, whose header missed just wide, an early sign of the Owls' attacking intent.
 
The breakthrough came in the ninth minute when Gassama split the Wabash defense with a pinpoint through ball to sophomore Lucas de Alarcon, who was brought down in the box by the Wabash goalkeeper. After a quick VAR check, Kenyon was awarded a penalty. Gassama stepped up and buried the spot kick into the bottom-left corner to make it 1-0.

Just two minutes later, Kenyon doubled its lead. First-year Joey Nigro showcased dazzling footwork on the left flank, cutting through defenders before threading a clever pass to de Alarcon, who turned smoothly and fired a low shot past the keeper to give the Owls a 2-0 advantage. From there, Kenyon continued to press, dictating the tempo and creating chances, while Wabash struggled to find rhythm.

The second half carried a chippy tone, as both teams combined for 23 fouls, 16 from Wabash and seven from Kenyon, with five total yellow cards. Despite the interruptions, the Owls continued to control possession and find quality looks. In the 70th minute, sophomore Justin Buchwalter delivered a curling cross from the left side that found sophomore Hayato Ishii near the back post. Ishii headed the ball across goal, where senior Joaquin Sánchez-Korenfeld nodded it home to cap the 3-0 scoreline.

Kenyon outshot Wabash 20-8, including 10 shots on target to Wabash's five, and held a 3-1 edge in corner kicks. Gassama, de Alarcon, and Sánchez-Korenfeld each tallied a goal, while Nigro, Ishii, and Buchwalter picked up assists. In goal, sophomore Dominic Pratt made four saves to secure the clean sheet.
 
The Owls now travel to Greencastle, Indiana, for a conference matchup against DePauw University on Saturday, October 25. Kickoff is set for 12:00 p.m. 
 
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