Box Score
Ohio Wesleyan 11, Aurora 9

Senior attacker Colin Short (Jamesville, N.Y./Jamesville-DeWitt) scored twice during a 5-1 first-quarter run and junior attacker Casey Helms (Sandwich, Mass./Bridgton Academy) posted his first collegiate hat trick as Ohio Wesleyan built an early lead, withstood a pair of Aurora rallies, and went on to defeat the Spartans in their season opener on Saturday at Selby Stadium.

Helms scored the opening goal of the season, then fed senior midfielder Scotty Rosenthal (Boylston, Mass./Worcester Academy) on a man-up goal less than 2 minutes later for a 2-0 Bishop lead.

Aurora answered with a Pat Diorka score, but the Bishops closed out the period with man-up goals by sophomore attacker Edwin Foster (Medfield, Mass./Avon Old Farms (Conn.)) and Short, then got another Short goal with 1:29 left in the quarter to extend the margin to 5-1.

The teams traded scores twice during the second quarter before Max Obriecht's goal with :24 left pulled the Spartans within 7-4 at the intermission, and Aurora opened up the second half with goals from Garret Rosiek and Andrew Schoessel to pull within 7-6 near the midway point of the quarter.

It was still an 8-7 game when junior midfielder Spencer Schnell (Dublin/Jerome) closed out the third quarter with an unassisted goal, and sophomore midfielder Kevin McCarley (Columbus/Upper Arlington) and Helms scored goals 35 seconds apart early in the fourth quarter to give Ohio Wesleyan an 11-7 advantage.

Aurora made things interesting during the closing minutes, getting scores from Rosiek and Jordan Williams to pull within 11-9 with 2:26 left in regulation time, but the Bishops won the ensuing faceoff and held the Spartans without a shot during the final 2-plus minutes of action.

Helms led the Bishops with 3 goals and an assist, while Short finished with 2 goals and an assist and freshman midfielder Tate Rolland (Brunswick, Md.) scored twice.

Sophomore Ryan McMahon (Springfield, Va./The Bullis School) made 8 saves in the Ohio Wesleyan goal.

Obriecht and Rosiek each had 2 goals and an assist for Aurora.  Adam Holka had 17 saves for the Spartans.

Box Score