WOOSTER, Ohio — The Marietta College Men's Soccer Team started the 2017 season with a hard fought 2-0 road victory at the College of Wooster Friday (Sept. 1) evening.
"It's a good start to the season. We played well in moments and honestly struggled at times," Marietta head coach
Joe Bergin said. "The subs we made towards the end of the first half made a big difference for us. They raised our level of play and that gives the coaches confidence in our second unit."
The Pioneers got on the board with a perfectly executed set piece in the 33rd minute. Senior
Will Walther (Pataskala, Ohio/Saint Charles Prep) dropped a corner kick right at the front post where
Josh Baskind (Solon, Ohio/Solon) was waiting. The MC sophomore rocketed the ball into the upper corner for the goal.
Marietta took a 1-0 lead into halftime. The Pioneer defense was relentless in the first 45 minutes and didn't allow the Fighting Scots to get a shot on frame in the period.
Things got rough in the second half as three yellow cards were issued and the Pioneers clung to the one goal lead. Wooster put some pressure on the Marietta defense but senior keeper
Tyler Sholl (Johnstown, Ohio/Big Walnut) tallied four saves in the period to keep the clean sheet.
Junior
Andy Rolfes (Cincinnati, Ohio/Princeton) finally gave Marietta some breathing room with a goal in the 83rd minute. Baskind fired a shot that was saved by the Wooster keeper, Will Collis. Rolfes was there to bury the follow-up shot in the back of the net for a 2-0 Pioneer lead.
"Our boys have some experience and it showed." Bergin said. "When Wooster pressed we reacted calmly and were able to get a second goal and see the game out."
Sholl played all 90 minutes in goal for the Pioneers and finished with four saves in the shutout. Collis went the distance in net for the Scots and made eight saves.
Marietta hosts Wittenberg University in its home opener on Sunday (Sept. 3). Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m.
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.
