In the second round of the NCAA Division III men’s soccer tournament, Denison (14-1-6) defeated Ohio Northern (14-4-4), 4-1, while Ohio Wesleyan (12-5-3) dropped a 1-0 loss to top-ranked Mary Washington (19-1-2).
The Big Red will meet up with the No. 1 ranked Eagles in the third round of the national tournament. The Kenyon Owls will also be competing in the NCAA third round and will take on Connecticut Col. (12-2-6). The date, time and location of the third-round matches will be announced.
MARY WASHINGTON (19-1-2) 1, OHIO WESLEYAN (12-5-3) 0
- In the second-round matchup in Fredericksburg, Mary Washington controlled the pace of the game through the first 37 minutes of action with 14 shots, half of which were on goal. Ohio Wesleyan junior goalkeeper Sam Whitman (Baltimore, MD/Friends School of Baltimore) made all seven stops to keep the Eagles off the board.
- The Battling Bishops would take their first shot, on goal, in the 43rd minute, while Mary Washington responded with another shot on frame with 50 seconds remaining. Whitman closed out the half with his eighth save.
- The Eagles outshot the Battling Bishops 15-1 in the first 45 minutes of play, while also earning an 8-0 advantage in corners.
- MWU continued its offensive pressure with the first shot of the second frame at 48:55, which was blocked by an OWU defender before Whitman made another stop one minute later to keep the Eagles off the board.
- OWU would find an offensive push in the second half. Junior Ryan Betts (Columbus, OH/Olentangy Berlin) had his breakaway shot blocked at 56:11 by an Eagle defender, which earned the Battling Bishops their first corner of the match. After back-to-back corner kicks, senior Franklin Rodriguez (Santiago, Dominican Republic/Berkshire (MA)) put a point-blank shot on frame that was stopped by MWU goalkeeper Freddy Rogers at 57:40. Junior Tristan Ruiz de Somocurcio (Tampa, FL/Tampa Preparatory) would head a ball in only to miss just wide at 59:04, while first-year Logan Lewarchick (St. Charles, IL/East) would take a shot but miss high of the net at 61:00.
- The entire Battling Bishop backline would continue to work to keep the Eagles off the board. However, with just 2:13 remaining in regulation, the Eagles would find the back of the net to secure the 1-0 victory.
- Whitman posted a career-high 11 saves in net for Ohio Wesleyan.
- OWU Head Coach Jay Martin closes out his 47-year career as the winningest coach in NCAA men's soccer history. He led all 47 of his teams to a .607 or better winning percentage and owns an impeccable 774-169-84 record.
DENISON (14-1-6) 4, OHIO NORTHERN (14-4-4) 1
- In the second-round matchup in Granville, the Big Red took a quick 1-0 lead after sophomore Eli Taylor (Henrico, VA/St. Christopher’s School) fired a shot past the Polar Bears defense in the first two minutes of action.
- Ohio Northern answered just six minutes later to tie up the score thanks to a goal by senior Cade Winchester. After Winchester’s goal, the Polar Bears would continue to apply pressure to the Big Red defense, firing three shots in nearly five minutes. However, Denison would hold Ohio Northern shotless for the remaining 29 minutes.
- The Big Red would strike two more times in the first half. Tyler scored his second goal of the game during the 19th minute off an assist by first-year Kaden Kist (New Albany, OH/New Albany), while sophomore Jack Rice (Lake Bluff, IL/Lake Forest) extended Denison’s lead to two with a goal in the 37th minute.
- The Big Red’s final goal was scored during the second half by Zarius Eusebe (Wilton, CT/Wilton), who was assisted by Taylor and senior Jake Krueger (Wilmette, IL/New Trier Township).
- Despite the 4-1 deficit with nearly 30 minutes to play, Ohio Northern launched five more attempts at the Denison goal, but the Big Red’s defense and three goal lead proved to be too much.
- In the win, Denison sent only six shots at the Ohio Northern defense, but the Big Red’s efficient shooting would see four reach the back of the goal.
- Tyler led all scorers with two goals and one assist while senior goalkeeper Tommy Prokos (Park Ridge, IL/Maine South) tallied two saves in the win.