COLUMBUS, Ohio – As Martin Tyler once said, "The wait is finally over. The world's most captivating sport returns for another year of drama, intrigue, beauty, and suspense. Football is back!" And in top-notch style, as The Kenyon College men's soccer team, ranked No.13 in the nation, kicked off its 2025 campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 road victory over cross-state opponent Capital University at Bernlohr Stadium on Friday night.
The matchup marked the sixth all-time meeting between the programs and the first since 2014. With the result, Kenyon now leads the series 4-2.
The Owls wasted little time finding the back of the net, striking in the 10th minute.
Robert Little worked the ball down the left wing, drawing the Capital defense toward home before switching play across the field. His pass found a wide open
Hayato Ishii on the right side, and the sophomore calmly slotted a shot into the lower left corner to give the Owls the early 1-nil lead.
Capital answered shortly after halftime. In the 49th minute, Brendon Dorsett connected on a set-piece sequence, converting a feed from Tony Epstein and Jackson Terry to even the score at 1-1. The Comets gained momentum following the equalizer, but Kenyon's defense, anchored by
Grant Blake and goalkeeper
Owen Boukalik, stood tall to keep the match leveled.
With just over 11 minutes left, the Owls capitalized on a scrappy sequence in the box. A Kenyon cross deflected off a Capital defender and fell to midfielder
Moustapha Gassama. He quickly centered the ball to
Justin Buchwalter, who found himself one-on-one with the keeper. The sophomore midfielder buried his chance high into the net, putting the Owls ahead 2-1 in the 79th minute.
The good guys managed the final minutes effectively, fending off late Capital pressure to secure the victory. Despite the match being a bit chippy with 23 total fouls and five yellow cards, the Owls controlled much of the match, outshooting the Comets 10-3 with six of those being on target.
With the win, Kenyon improves to 1-0-0 and builds early-season momentum under the weight of its top-15 national ranking. The Owls return to action Sunday, as they are set to host Edgewood College at Mavec Field, with kickoff set for 1:00 p.m.
