MARIETTA, Ohio — After five road matches to start the season, the Marietta College men's soccer team finally got to play a match on the new navy blue turf Saturday (Sept. 15) evening. The Pioneer defeated the College of Wooster, 3-1, under the lights on Marietta Field.
Marietta went on the attack right from the opening whistle. The Pioneers earned a penalty kick just 12 seconds into the match as Wooster was issued a yellow card in the box.
Tom Sloan (Stockport, England/Wilmslow) took the penalty kick for Marietta but had it stopped by Wooster keeper Will Collis.
"We started the game on fire, but didn't convert that start into a goal. Credit to the boys for not wavering from the plan and sheer determination to get the first goal," Marietta head coach
Joe Bergin said. "Once again we couldn't get that second and they pulled even with us. I am very happy with the composure we showed in getting the second goal. We still have so much to improve on and we will get back after it this week."
Luke Maher (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) got the Pioneers on the board with a goal in the 19th minute. With assists from
Cole Pappas (Pittsburgh, Pa./Avonworth) and
Andy Rolfes (Cincinnati, Ohio/Princeton), Maher found himself open in the six-yard box and placed the ball inside the right post for his first goal of the season.
Wooster leveled the match in the 66th minute. Bennett Anderson crossed the ball into the ox where Andreas Xenofontos headed it home to even the score, 1-1.
Pappas scored the game-winner in the 75th minute. Sloan dropped the ball back to Pappas who fired a bullet into the upper right corner of the net from 20-yards out.
Things got heated after that and when Marietta keeper
Dakota Penquite (Blanchester, Ohio/Blanchester) was fouled hard inside the box that triggered a skirmish that resulted in a red card for the Pioneers and a yellow for Wooster at the 79:05 mark.
Any hopes of a Wooster come back were dashed when Rolfes scored a shorthanded goal in the 82nd minute. Sloan put the ball in play on a free kick and Rolfes hit a laser from 30-yards away for his first goal of the season.
Penquite went the distance in goal for the Pioneers recording five saves. Collis posted three saves in 90 of play for Wooster.
Marietta is back on the road this Wednesday (Sept. 19) for a 4:30 p.m. match at Bethany College.
Fans can follow all of 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.
