Men's Soccer knocks off OAC foe Wilmington 4-1 for 10th win of 2018 season
By Blake Moore
ADA - Four different Polar Bears found the scoresheet as the Ohio Northern men's soccer program racked up its 10th victory of the 2018 regular season, knocking off Ohio Athletic Conference foe Wilmington 4-1 at Kerscher Stadium in Ada, Ohio Wednesday evening.
With the midweek triumph, Northern improves to 10-3-1 overall and to 3-1-0 in conference play this season, pushing them past Wilmington in the league standings. Meanwhile, the Quakers drop to 7-5-0 overall with a 2-2-0 mark in the OAC.
The Polar Bears utilized a 22-8 overall shots advantage, including an 8-4 shots on goal margin, to claim the victory over the conference opposition. ONU would also register six corner kick opportunities while Wilmington managed two.
After a half hour of scoreless action, sophomore forward Zach Yoder (Goshen, Ind./Northridge) broke through with the night's opening strike. The Goshen, Indiana product received a long ball from freshman back Jacob Westerkamp (Beavercreek), heading home his first goal of the 2018 campaign from five yards out.
Ohio Northern continued the offensive push throughout the first half, tacking on one more tally in the 42nd minute off the foot of freshman Levi King (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central). The first-year midfielder corralled a loose ball outside the penalty box and blasted a 25-yard shot off the crossbar that bounced into the netting. King's first-half brace marks his eighth goal of the season.
After the intermission, the Quakers would exit the locker room with a renewed offensive energy, breaking through with their lone goal of the night in the 67th minute. Following an Ohio Northern foul, Wilmington's Daniel Kappelin swung a free kick into the Northern penalty area, which was netted by Ludwig Lantz to cut the Polar Bear lead in half.
ONU responded with two late goals to ensure the victory, beginning with senior Anthony DeNoi's (Powell/Olentangy Liberty) goal in the 79th minute. Junior forward Noah Bachwitz (Buffalo, N.Y./Williamsville North) and sophomore defender Beelal Hasan (Westerville/Thomas) flicked on a long ball into the box, giving DeNoi an open opportunity from close range. The senior would find the upper-right corner of the netting, giving him his fourth score this year.
Freshman Matt Studenic (Wadsworth) capped the scoring with just two minutes remaining in the contest. The midfielder would record his second straight contest with a goal after tapping in a shot that caromed off Wilmington goaltender Felix Maurer.
King paced the Polar Bear offense with nine total shots in the contest while Hasan finished second with four attempts.
In net, freshman John Lombardo (Solon) recorded his seventh victory of the 2018 season. The netminder would concede just one goal while posting three saves in the match.
Ohio Northern will return to action this Saturday as they travel to John Carroll for a weekend conference affair. Match time is set for 7 p.m. at Don Shula Stadium in University Heights, Ohio.