Box Score Kenyon 2, Ohio Wesleyan 1Junior midfielder Neil Wilson (Batavia) scored to erase a 1-0 deficit, but second-/eighth-ranked Kenyon got the go-ahead goal early in the second half and went on to defeat 17th/22nd-ranked Ohio Wesleyan in a battle for first place in the North Coast Athletic Conference on Wednesday at the Jay Martin Soccer Complex.
With the win, Kenyon moves into first place in the NCAC with a record of 7-1-0, with Ohio Wesleyan in second place at 6-1-1. DePauw is in third place with a record of 5-1-2, and Denison (3-2-3) and Oberlin (4-4-0) are tied for fourth place. The conference championship and the remainder of the field for next week's NCAC tournament will be determined by the outcomes of Saturday's games, which include Kenyon hosting Wabash, Ohio Wesleyan hosting Hiram, DePauw visiting Allegheny, and Oberlin visiting Denison.
Kenyon had the first chance of the game when Jordan Glassman posted up a Bishop defender inside the penalty area and received an entry pass, but sent a shot wide of the Ohio Wesleyan goal.
The Lords took advantage of their next opportunity when Josh Lee fired a shot from the left side that hit the post, with Tony Amolo there in the penalty area to pounce on the rebound and give Kenyon a 1-0 lead in the eighth minute.
Just over 30 seconds later, Ohio Wesleyan earned a penalty kick and was looking for the equalizer, but as the corner play started, senior back Mason Hoge (Mason) was taken down in the box by a Kenyon defender, leading to a lengthy delay. Hoge would miss the remainder of the contest.
Senior forward Brian Schaefer (Chatham, N.J.) put a shot on goal with a 25-yard blast in the 14th minute, but Kenyon's Sam Clougher was there for the save. Shortly thereafter, junior back Nick Norman (Cincinnati/Oak Hills) fired a shot that Clougher tracked down at the left post.
Ohio Wesleyan evened the score in the 17th minute. Freshman back Luke Gabbert (Lewis Center/Olentangy Orange) sent the ball into the Kenyon end. A Lord defender played the ball back toward Clougher, but Wilson got to the ball first and put a shot into the back of the Kenyon net with 28:45 left in the first half.
Kenyon had a look midway through the half after a restart from about 22 yards away, with a header by Dalton Eudy sailing high.
Senior midfielder Lonnie Barnes (Champaign, Ill./Centennial) had a chance at the go-ahead goal in the 33rd minute, but Clougher dove to make the save on the shot, and senior forward Matt Cohen (Cincinnati/Seven Hills) had an open look in the 44th minute, but his shot deflected off Clougher and over the goal.
The Lords nearly took advantage of a Bishop turnover to grab the lead in the closing seconds of the half, but freshman forward Will Sharer (Avon) blocked a shot by Kenyon's David Anderson.
Glassman gave Kenyon the lead in the 50th minute, picking up a loose ball and making a short run to the Bishop goal before finishing the chance.
Midway through the half, Ohio Wesleyan had a free kick close to the midfield line, and junior goalkeeper Ben Farynowski (Grandview Heights) ventured out to take the restart. Farynowski launched the ball toward the Kenyon goal mouth, with Clougher punching it away to preserve the 2-1 lead.
Farynowski kept the Bishops close with a diving save of a shot by Jeremiah Barnes in the 73rd minute, and the Bishop defense blocked a shot by Alberto Carmona in the 81st minute.
Schaefer had Ohio Wesleyan's final chance in the 84th minute, but his shot went wide.
"We gave up two bad goals," said Bishop head coach Jay Martin. "That was our worst game since Thomas More. I don't know if the guys were overexcited for Kenyon, or what. (Kenyon) beat us to every ball, every second ball, and every head ball. We had some bad luck, giving up that bad goal and then losing Mason (Hoge) right away. That's not the way you want to start a game.
"We didn't play in the second half at all. It was very disappointing. Nobody played well -- our playmakers didn't make plays."
Kenyon outshot Ohio Wesleyan, 18-14. Farynowski recorded 3 saves in the Ohio Wesleyan goal. Clougher finished with 5 saves for the Lords.
Box Score
