Box Score Ohio Wesleyan 2, DePauw 0Senior back Evan Lee (Toledo/St. John's) and senior forward Brian Schaefer (Chatham, N.J.) scored goals to propel Ohio Wesleyan past 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 1 p.m. on Saturday at Mavec Field on the Kenyon College campus in Gambier, Ohio. Kenyon advanced to the championship game with a 1-0 win over Oberlin on Wednesday.
The Bishops created several scoring opportunities in the early going, outshooting the Tigers, 12-0, during the first 20 minutes of the contest. Schaefer put a shot on goal in the 12th minute that DePauw keeper Chris Yount stopped, and just over 3 minutes later, senior forward Matt Cohen (Cincinnati/Seven Hills) had a header saved by Yount.
Another Cohen header hit the right post in the 19th minute, and Schaefer sent a shot outside the right post in the 30th minute.
Ohio Wesleyan took the lead when junior midfielder Phoenix Neitzelt (Delaware/Hayes) sent the ball up the right side to senior midfielder Gunnar Bloecher (Lewis Center/Olentangy Orange). Bloecher in turn centered the ball, with Lee heading it home with 13:06 left in the period.
Lee had another look at the DePauw goal in the 37th minute, but his header off a free kick was tracked down by Yount.
The Tigers had a shot at tying the game during the first minute of the second half, with Adrian Ables firing a shot after a free kick, only to have junior goalkeeper Ben Farynowski (Grandview Heights) make the save. In the 54th minute, another DePauw free kick found its way to Julian Gonzalez, but Gonzalez' header was stopped by Farynowski.
Gonzalez' header would be the last shot for the Tigers for nearly 30 minutes of play.
Schaefer provided some insurance with a goal in the 83rd minute, beating a Tiger defender at the top of the penalty area and firing a shot back to the left post.
"That was maybe our best game of the year," said Bishop head coach Jay Martin. "I was very impressed with the way we did not back down. They were very physical, but we came right back at them. The first half was unbelievable but dangerous -- we had 17 shots but only one goal. We lost a little momentum in the second half, but got it back later. Overall, that was a very, very good game.
"Lonnie (Barnes) played great at center back, (Will) Sharer was fantastic as a freshman in the defensive midfield spot, and (Brian) Schaefer works his (tail) off."
Ohio Wesleyan outshot DePauw, 25-7. Farynowski finished with 2 saves for Ohio Wesleyan. Yount made 6 saves in the DePauw goal.
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