MARIETTA, Ohio – With eight shots and two goals in the first 10 minutes, the men's soccer match between rivals Muskingum University and Marietta College had the makings of an offensive shootout. But both defenses buckled down and neither team would score again in the 1-1 double overtime draw.
Muskingum (5-8-1 overall, 0-3-1 OAC) came out firing on all cylinders and got off three quick shots. The Muskies earned a corner kick in the seventh minute of play and capitalized on the scoring opportunity.
Kyle Baker took the corner and sent the ball into the six-yard box to Cody Sprague. Sprague took the shot and buried the ball into the lower right corner of the net for a 1-0 Muskingum lead. The goal was Sprague's fourth of the season.
Marietta (3-9-1, 0-3-1 OAC) answered back less than two minutes later.
Wesley Riley (Marietta/Marietta) took possession of a loose ball in the Muskie defensive third of the field and quickly got behind the defenders. Riley dribbled down the right side of the six-yard box and sent a perfect shot just inside the far post to knot the score at 1-1 with his tenth goal of the season.
After the early fireworks, both teams settled down and the match evolved into a defensive battle. The Pioneers controlled play for the most of the first half taking seven corner kicks to just two for the Muskies.
Senior
Ryan Stephens (Enon/South Point) and junior
Scott Eilmann (North Royalton/North Royalton) anchored Marietta's back line and turned back several good scoring opportunities for Muskingum in the second half and in overtime.
Senior goalkeeper
Chris Stollar (Marietta/Marietta) equaled his season-high with seven saves in the match. Stollar played all 110 minutes in net for the Pioneers.
Marietta managed two shots in the first overtime and one in the second, as scoring opportunities were at a premium in the extra time. Muskingum took one shot in each overtime period.
For the match, the Pioneers took 18 shots, while the Muskies had 17. Marietta held a commanding 12-4 advantage in corner kicks.
Muskingum keeper Will Hess went the distance in goal and made four saves.
The Pioneers are back in action for Senior Day at Marietta Field on Saturday (Oct. 19) against No. 20 Ohio Northern University. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. Fans can follow the Pioneers all season long at
pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at
facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on Twitter.
