MARIETTA, Ohio — Marietta College closed out the regular season in grand fashion as the Pioneers upset No. 3 ranked Ohio Northern University, 1-0, Friday (Oct. 28) afternoon in Ohio Athletic Conference men's soccer action. The win snapped a 14-match losing streak against the Polar Bears dating back to 2002 when the Pioneers beat ONU in Ada, 2-0.
With the victory, Marietta finishes the regular season with a 10-8-1 overall record and 5-4 in the OAC. MC's 10 regular season wins are the most for the Pioneers since winning 12 in 2002. Ohio Northern falls to 16-1-3 overall and 6-1-2 in the OAC.
"Words cannot describe the effort the boys put forth today," Marietta head coach
Joe Bergin said. "ONU is a very good team and we had to defend all over the place in the second half. I couldn't be prouder of our effort. Hopefully this momentum carries over to the OAC tournament."
A perfectly placed through ball triggered Marietta's counter attack and led to the only goal of the match.
Noah Laliberty (Scott Depot, W.Va./Winfield) threaded a beautiful ball through the Polar Bear defense to
Andy Rolfes (Cincinnati, Ohio/Princeton) at the top of the 18-yard box. Rolfes took the ball into the left side of the 18 and fired a shot inside the far post for the game-winner in the 13th minute. It was his seventh goal of the season.
Four minutes later the Pioneers were whistled for a foul just outside their own 18-yard box giving the Polar Bears a scoring opportunity. David Janusz took the direct kick but it was saved by Marietta keeper
Tyler Sholl (Johnstown, Ohio/Big Walnut).
Sholl was outstanding all afternoon recording seven saves and notching his fifth clean sheet of the season. With less than 10 minutes left in the first half, ONU All-American striker Matt Kinkopf blasted a shot from inside the 6-yard box that Sholl turned away.
"The goal by
Andy Rolfes (Cincinnati, Ohio/Princeton) was class, but it was set up by a great ball from
Noah Laliberty (Scott Depot, W.Va./Winfield)," Bergin said. "Sholl was a monster in goal. He controlled his box and made two absolutely brilliant saves that kept us in front."
After denying Kinkopf in the first half, Sholl made his biggest save of match in the 58th minute. Northern earned a corner kick, one of 14 in the match for the Polar Bears. Kinkopf sent a perfect corner into the box where Janusz deflected a dangerous header that Sholl managed to get a hand on and push it over the cross bar to keep the shutout intact.
Marietta's defense, playing without captain
Brent Huck (Marietta, Ohio/Marietta), frustrated Kinkopf and Janusz all afternoon. Laliberty,
Sebastian Ziaja (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest),
Josh Albright (Martin, Ohio/St. Francis de Sales) and
Noah Sellers (Fort Thomas, Ky./Highlands) anchored the Pioneer back line with some help from
Anthony D'Egidio (Canton, Ohio/Dover).
For the match, Ohio Northern outshot the Pioneers 17-11, including a slim 7-6 edge in shots on goal. The Polar Bears had a decisive 14-1 advantage in corner kicks.
Marietta now has to wait and see the results of tomorrow's league matches to determine who and where they will play in next week's OAC Tournament. The Pioneers can finish anywhere from third to fifth in the standings. The top six qualify for the tournament with Nos. 1 and 2 receiving a first round bye.
The No. 3 seed hosts the No. 6 seed and the No. 4 seed hosts the No. 5 seed in first round matches on Monday (October 31). The 4/5 winner plays at the No. 1 seed and the 3/6 winner plays at the No. 2 seed on Wednesday.
Fans can follow all the Pioneer teams all year long at
pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at
facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on Twitter and Instagram.
