Senior J.J. Fortner leads Men's Soccer to 4-0 victory over No. 8-ranked Heidelberg
By Caleb Scott
ADA — Senior J.J. Fortner (Maumee/Anthony Wayne) scored two first half goals to help lift the Ohio Northern men's soccer team to a 4-0 shutout victory over No. 8-ranked Heidelberg on Wednesday evening at Kerscher Stadium.
The Polar Bears improve to 9-4-1 overall, and 2-2-0 in the Ohio Athletic Conference and handed Heidelberg its first loss of the season to drop the Student Princes to 9-1-1, 2-1-1.
Fortner scored two goals on the evening to lead the ONU offense, while senior Mac Tompkins (Fairview, Pa.) and junior Joseph Schulte (Copley) each tallied one goal.
After a slow start to the contest, Northern would strike first in the 29th minute as Schulte found Fortner who beat two HU defenders to give Northern a 1-0 lead.
In the 41st minute, Fortner would extend the lead to 2-0 after capitalizing on a Heidelberg yellow card that resulted in an ONU penalty kick to push the score to 2-0 at the intermission.
Schulte would score his sixth goal of the season in the 64th minute after senior Colin Johnson (Rochester, N.Y./Brighton) and junior Anthony DeNoi (Powell/Olentangy Liberty) teamed up for the double assist and helped push the lead to 3-0.
Tompkins would seal the 4-0 shutout in the 87th minute after he found the back of the net on a free kick from just outside of the 18-yard box.
Freshman Dylan Plank (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim) earned his eighth victory of the season after recording saves on all four of the Student Princes shots on goal, while posting his fourth shutout of the season.
Ohio Northern out-shot Heidelberg 25-12 margin and edged HU in the corner kick battle 8-5.
Northern returns to action on Saturday evening as it travels to nationally-ranked John Carroll to take on the Blue Streaks at 7 pm.
