MARIETTA, Ohio — Senior
Wesley Riley (Marietta/Marietta) made a lasting impression in his final match at Marietta Field scoring the lone goal in Marietta College's 1-0 win over Otterbein University Tuesday (Oct. 28) afternoon in a critical Ohio Athletic Conference men's soccer match.
Both teams entered today's showdown tied for sixth place in the OAC standings. With the top six teams qualifying for the OAC Tournament, the Pioneers are poised to make their first appearance in the league tournament since 2009.
Riley took possession of the ball near midfield and split a pair of Cardinal defenders with a long touch creating a one-on-one with Otterbein keeper Mack Stamper. Riley fired a shot that hit the far post and then buried the follow-up shot in the back of the net for a 1-0 Pioneer lead just 7:28 into the match.
Otterbein turned up the pressure on the Pioneer defense taking 10 shots in the first half. The Cardinal attack earned eight corner kicks in the opening period, but Marietta's defense, led by keeper
Sebastian Parra (Bexley/Bexley), rose to the challenge.
Parra finished with 10 saves in the match as he notched his third clean sheet of the season. Marietta's back line of
Boyd Kirk (Akron/Green),
Brent Huck (Marietta/Marietta),
Scott Eilmann (North Royalton/North Royalton),
Robert Felton (Wheeling, W.Va./The Linsly School) and
Will Walther (Pataskala/Saint Charles Prep) made sure Riley's goal was enough.
The Cardinals thought they scored the equalizer in the 87th minute. Junior forward Luis Rivas took a pass from midfielder Jared Pulliam and placed the ball inside the far post for a goal. However, after conferring with the assistant referee, the referee called offside on Otterbein and waived off the goal.
Otterbein outshot the Pioneers 17-13 for the match including a 10-7 edge in shots on goal. The Cardinals had a decisive 13-6 advantage in corner kicks.
Marietta wraps up the regular season on Friday (Oct. 31) with a 7:00 p.m. match at Ohio Northern University. 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.
