Box Score Ohio Wesleyan 3, DePauw 2Senior forward Colton Bloecher (Lewis Center/Olentangy Orange) had a goal and an assist as 15th-ranked Ohio Wesleyan broke a 1-1 tie and went on to defeat DePauw in a semifinal matchup of the North Coast Athletic Conference tournament on Wednesday at the Jay Martin Soccer Complex.
Ohio Wesleyan advances to the tournament championship game, where the Bishops will face Kenyon at 7 p.m. on Saturday at the Jay Martin Soccer Complex. Kenyon advanced to the championship game with a 3-0 win over Wabash on Tuesday.
The Bishops took an early lead when junior forward Matt Cohen (Cincinnati/Seven Hills) scored from the top of the penalty area 90 seconds into the action. DePauw keeper Jake Pezzuto was injured on the play and was relieved by Chris Yount.
Bloecher nearly gave Ohio Wesleyan a 2-0 lead in the 16th minute when he fielded a pass from senior midfielder Taylor Rieger (Lewis Center/Olentangy Orange) at the top of the box but had his shot go wide of the goal.
The Tigers evened the game in the 18th minute. DePauw had earned a corner kick, and Julian Gonzalez played the ball out to the left sideline, then took a return pass and sent the ball into the penalty area, where Andy Morrison headed it inside the right post for the score.
Ohio Wesleyan struck back just under 3 minutes later. Junior midfielder Brian Schaefer (Chatham, N.J.) crossed the ball from the right side to Bloecher at the 6-yard line, and Bloecher headed the ball back into the right side of the net for a 2-1 Ohio Wesleyan lead.
DePauw had a couple of chances to even the score in the closing minutes of the half. Zach Hoffman got a look at the Bishop goal in the 41st minute, but his shot was blocked by the Ohio Wesleyan defense. In the waning seconds of the period, DePauw had a restart from about 30 yards out. The ball was sent into the box, where senior goalkeeper Colin Beemiller (Pickerington/North) punched it up and away from the goal mouth. Gonzalez got to the loose ball and sent a header toward the left post with :09 to play, but junior back Evan Lee (Toledo/St. Johns) cleared the ball off the line.
The Bishops had a pair of chances to extend the lead early in the second half. Sophomore forward Kyle Baum (Powell/Olentangy Liberty) fired a shot from inside the penalty area, with Yount making the save, and Baum's shot on the rebound was blocked by the Tiger defense, earning a corner kick for Ohio Wesleyan. After the corner, Lee had his shot cleared off the line by a DePauw defender.
DePauw had a chance in the 57th minute when the Tigers were awarded an indirect kick about 12 yards from the Bishop goal, but Gonzalez' shot was deflected over the end line for a corner kick.
Bloecher and senior defender Drew Pang (Dublin/Coffman) nearly connected after an Ohio Wesleyan restart in the 69th minute, but Pang's header was wide of the net.
DePauw's Brandon Johnson made a run in the 72nd minute, but his shot from the top of the box was snared by Beemiller.
Lee and Bloecher teamed up to increase the Bishop lead to 3-1, with Lee passing the ball to Bloecher inside the DePauw penalty area, then taking the return pass and finding the back of the net with 14:09 left in regulation time.
The Tigers narrowed the deficit to 3-2 in the 82nd minute. After a restart just over midfield, the ball was played ahead to E.J. Moore, who sent it on toward Morrison at the top of the penalty area. Pang broke up that pass, but the loose ball rolled toward the Bishop goal and Mitch Reavis got to it first and converted the chance with 8:24 left in the game.
The Bishop defense sealed the win by allowing just one shot during the final 8 minutes of play, with Morrison's drive sailing wide during the 89th minute.
"That was a really good college soccer game between two good teams with two different styles, and I thought our guys handled it well," said Bishop head coach Jay Martin. "Colton (Bloecher) was a stud tonight. Most people in the stands don't see the subtle things he does that are so amazing. Colin (Beemiller) had a good game, and our two center backs, Drew (Pang) and Evan (Lee) played well. Overall, it was a good team effort. I thought we should've had more shots on goal, and we'll have to do better than that. It should be a great game on Saturday night."
Ohio Wesleyan outshot DePauw, 30-13. Beemiller finished with 1 save. Yount made 4 saves in the DePauw goal.
Box Score
