Marietta men's soccer upsets John Carroll 2-1 in double overtime to clinch OAC Tournament berth
Pioneers will make just second OAC Tournament appearance and first since 1997

Oct. 27, 2007
MARIETTA, Ohio — For the first time in 10 years and under the direction of Head Coach Pat Holguin, the Marietta College men's soccer team will be returning to the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Tournament.

The Pioneers, who have been playing must-win games for the last week and a half, stretched their win streak to three games with a 2-1 double overtime victory over visiting John Carroll University Saturday (Oct. 27) afternoon on Senior Day at Marietta Field.

The victory improves Marietta's record to 8-7-2 overall and 4-4-1 in the OAC. John Carroll falls to 9-8 overall and 6-3 in league play. The Pioneers finished the season with 13 points, which gives them the sixth seed in the upcoming six-team OAC Tournament, which starts on Monday (Oct. 29).

Things looked bleak early, as John Carroll took a 1-0 lead in the 19th minute. Scott McKinney received a thru ball behind the defense from teammate Alex Bernot, dribbled past the approaching keeper and shot it into the back corner of the net for the goal, his eighth of the season.

Marietta answered back with the game-tying goal in the 26th minute. Sophomore Alan Porter (Marietta) fired a shot at the keeper, which was deflected to the foot of sophomore Kyle Muth (Twinsburg), who calmly laced it into the back center of the net to even the score at 1-1.

It remained locked at 1-1 for the next 76 minutes. It was Marietta's 21st shot of the afternoon, which took place in the 103rd minute, that sent the team and its fans into a frenzy. Muth got the ball to the center of the 6 and delivered a back pass to sophomore Delè Adedapo (Gahanna/Bexley), who bent a shot past a diving keeper and just inside the right post. The goal, Adedapo's fourth of the year, gave Marietta what my be its biggest victory in a very long time.

Both teams finished with 21 shots overall, including 13 shots on goal.

Junior keeper Steve Hagenau (Clearwater, Fla./Central Catholic), with help from the entire back line, continued his stellar play between the posts. He finished with 11 saves while improving to 4-4 on the year. Matt DeMarchi had six saves in the loss.

Marietta now awaits word on where it will travel Monday. The decision is based on the outcome of the Heidelberg and Mount Union game Saturday night. If Heidelberg wins, Marietta will play at John Carroll. A Student Prince loss or tie will send the Pioneers to John Carroll.