GAMBIER, Ohio – A scoreless first half led into a hectic second half, as the Owls wrap up their opening weekend with a 1-1 draw against the Eagles of Edgewood College on Sunday afternoon at Mavec Field. Despite dominating possession and creating numerous chances, the Owls were forced to come from behind in the second half to secure the result
Kenyon controlled the tempo from the opening whistle, moving the ball fluidly across the field and generating several opportunities from the wings. Multiple crosses were whipped into the box, but the Edgewood backline stood tall to deny the Owls' forwards.
The best chance of the half came in the 29th minute when
Andrew Adams pounced on a turnover just outside the opposition's box. Driving into the right side of the 18, Adams squared a low pass to
Johnny Hunwick, whose first-touch save was saved by Eagle goalkeeper Maverick Van Laanen. The rebound spilled into the top of the box, where
Gabriel Romanenko was fouled, setting up a dangerous free kick. Romanenko faked a run before
Moustapha Gassama unleashed a right-footed strike toward the bottom corner, but Van Laanen made a brilliant one-hand save to preserve the scoreless first half.
The bad guys broke through in the 61st minute, building front the back before Liam Moreira split Kenyon's defense with a through ball to Riley Kann. The forward found himself one-on-one with Owen Boukalif and calmly slotted a shot into the lower right corner to give Edgewood a 1-nil advantage.
The Owls wasted little time responding. Just four minutes later, a long throw-in from
Grant Blake caused chaos at the top of the box.
Danny Kankam nudged the ball into the path of
Hyugo Todo, who took a touch and curled a perfectly placed shot into the bottom right corner, tying the match 1-1.
Kenyon pressed for a late winner, earning multiple corners and nearly finding the breakthrough in the 89th minute. A free kick from Kankam on the left edge of the box sailed just high, and neither team could find a decisive goal as the final whistle sealed the draw.
The home team out-shot the visitors 16-9, including a 7-4 edge in shots on target, while also earning 8 corner kicks. Boukalik finished with one save, facing four shots on the day.
The Owls will return to Mavec Field on September 5th as they are set to host John Hopkins University , with kickoff slated for 5:15 p.m.
