Box Score Ohio Wesleyan 3, Hiram 1Junior midfielder Phoenix Neitzelt (Delaware/Hayes) scored Ohio Wesleyan's first 2 goals and senior forward Brian Schaefer (Chatham, N.J.) added an insurance goal as the 17th/22nd-ranked Bishops defeated Hiram in a North Coast Athletic Conference contest on Saturday at the Jay Martin Soccer Complex.
Ohio Wesleyan will be the No. 2 seed in next week's NCAC tournament and will host third-seeded DePauw at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at the Jay Martin Soccer Complex. Top-seeded Kenyon will host fourth-seeded Oberlin in Wednesday's other semifinal game. The teams that advance on Wednesday will play on Saturday in the tournament championship game, to be played on the campus of one of the competing institutions.
The Bishops threatened in the 21st minute after earning a corner kick, with senior back Evan Lee (Toledo/St. John's) and freshman forward Will Sharer (Avon) playing headers, but Terrier keeper Matt Sacher made the save on Sharer's play.
That save led to another corner kick, however, and this time the Bishops cashed in on the opportunity, with Neitzelt heading home Schaefer's drive to put the Bishops on the scoreboard with 24:17 left in the first half.
Hiram evened the game in the 35th minute after Ohio Wesleyan was called for a foul just outside the penalty area. Richie Webb lined up for the restart about 20 yards away, and connected on the shot to make it 1-1.
Vaal Ngalla put a long shot on goal for Hiram early in the second half, but junior goalkeeper Ben Farynowski (Grandview Heights) was there for the save.
Ohio Wesleyan countered, and junior midfielder Neil Wilson (Batavia) made a run into the Hiram penalty area, but Sacher was there to preserve the tie game.
Neitzelt gave the Bishops the lead after a restart in the 63rd minute. Schaefer sent the ball into the box from the right side, and after a Hiram defender headed the ball away from the goal, senior midfielder Lonnie Barnes (Champaign, Ill./Centennial) headed the ball back toward the left post, where Neitzelt was waiting and headed it home for a 2-1 Ohio Wesleyan lead.
The Terriers had a couple of looks at the tying goal, first when Quinn Galecki put a long shot on goal in the 73rd minute, and then in the 76th minute, when Farynowski made the save on a one-touch shot by Trever Wendel in the 76th minute.
Schaefer converted a penalty kick in the 77th minute to extend the Bishop lead to 3-1, and the Ohio Wesleyan defense would allow only one shot during the remainder of the contest.
"We played a good second half," said Bishop head coach Jay Martin. "We didn't play well during the first half, maybe a bit of a post-Kenyon letdown, but we made some position changes and the guys responded. Lonnie (Barnes) played great tonight.
"We told them to enjoy tonight, and then we'll get ready for the postseason."
Ohio Wesleyan outshot Hiram, 18-8. Farynowski finished with 3 saves in the Ohio Wesleyan goal. Sacher recorded 5 saves for the Terriers.
Box Score
