GAMBIER, Ohio – In a fast paced, physical battle, the No.13 Kenyon College men's soccer team powered past No. 21 Franklin and Marshall College 3-1 on Sunday afternoon. The Owls improve to 2-1-1 overall while the Diplomats drop to 0-4-0.
Kenyon wasted no time jumping ahead, scoring just three minutes into the match when
Robert Little darted down the left wing, beating his defender with a burst of speed and a pair of skill moves. Cutting into the box, Little forced a save from Diplomats goalkeeper Diego Moreno, but the rebound spilled to
Emmett Brown, who pounced and lashed home the opener to put the Owls up 1-nil.
The Owls refused to lift off the pedal. In the 11th minute, Kenyon earned a corner kick. The service into the box caused chaos, and after the ball bounced loose into space,
Moustapha Gassama dumped a quick pass to senior
Robbie Stroebel, who lined up a first-time strike. He ripped the shot with his laces into the bottom left corner, doubling the advantage to 2-nil.
Franklin & Marshall responded just before halftime converting a penalty kick in the 41st minute after Kenyon was whistled for a foul just inside the box. The visitors cut the score to 2-1 with Thomas Kaplan notching the only goal for the Diplomats.
The second half opened with a chippy tone as both sides traded hard tackles and words with the referee. Kenyon had a chance to retake the lead in the 63rd minute off a free kick from Gassama, but his strike was deflected by the wall.
The good guys sealed the deal in the 77th minute. After
Andrew Adams intercepted a Franklin & Marshall throw-in, he cleared the ball down the left wing, perfectly into the path of a streaking Gassama. Goalkeeper Davis Rorick charged off his line to challenge, but Gassama won the race and chipped the ball over the keeper before dribbling it into the open net to secure the 3-1 result.
Kenyon finished with a 12-9 edge in shots and a 6-2 advantage in shots on goal. 26 total fouls were called with seven yellow cards distributed, making it one of the more physical matchups we've seen thus far.
The Owls (2-1-1) will now head on the road for their next two matchups, with the first being a trip to Franciscan University on September 10. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
