MARIETTA, Ohio — Heidelberg University junior forward Chris Koczak tallied the Golden Goal in the 98th minute as the Student Princes defeated Marietta College 1-0 in overtime Saturday (Oct. 25) afternoon in a key Ohio Athletic Conference men's soccer match. With just two regular season matches remaining, teams are fighting for one of the six spots in the upcoming OAC Tournament.
The win improves Heidelberg to 8-6-3 overall and 4-2-1 in OAC play. The Pioneers slip to 5-10 on the season and 3-4 in league play. Currently, Marietta is tied with Otterbein University in sixth place in the league standings. Marietta hosts Otterbein on Tuesday.
The first half was about as even as possible with each team taking six shots and three corner kicks. Heidelberg had one shot on goal, which was saved by the Marietta keeper.
Heidelberg turned up the pressure in the second half firing off 15 shots to Marietta's five. Sophomore
Sebastian Parra (Bexley/Bexley) rose to the occasion making six saves in goal for the Pioneers.
The Student Princes failed to convert on a pair of big scoring opportunities in the second half. In the 61st minute Alexis Mendoza appeared to have an easy goal but was thwarted by an amazing diving save by Parra. Then, with under three minutes remaining, Mendoza caught Parra out of the box but his shot on the open goal went wide right.
With time winding down in the first overtime period, Heidelberg's Hamid Shariff sent a cross into the box where Koczak was waiting. Koczak ripped a shot inside the far post for the game winner. It was his fifth goal of the season.
For the match, the Student Princes outshot Marietta 24-12. Heidelberg held a slim 8-7 advantage in corner kicks. Parra finished with eight saves in goal for the Pioneers, while Matthew Stevens had one save for Heidelberg.
Marietta wraps up the home portion of its schedule on Tuesday (Oct. 28) when Otterbein comes to town for a huge OAC showdown. Kickoff is set for 4:00 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 and Instagram.
