MARIETTA, Ohio — In a must-win showdown, Marietta College got a pair of second half goals to beat Baldwin Wallace University by the score of 3-1 Saturday (Nov. 2) evening in Ohio Athletic Conference men's soccer.
With the win, Marietta finishes the regular season with a 9-8-1 record and the No. 6 seed in the OAC Tournament with a 4-4-1 league record. Baldwin Wallace ends the season with a 11-9-0 overall record and 4-5-0 OAC mark.
"I'm so incredibly proud of our team. They put forth what I consider to be our best effort of the season," Marietta head coach
Joe Bergin. "Not perfect but our best game of the year and we get to live to play another day."
Marietta completely dominated the first half.
Luke Maher (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) staked the Pioneers to an early lead when he found the back of the net in the 17th minute.
Robert Phillips (Elkins, W.Va./Aquinas Academy (Pa.)) crossed the ball into the box where Maher slipped it inside the right post for his third goal of the season.
While the offense was applying the pressure up top, MC's defense smothered the Yellow Jacket attack. The Pioneers held BW without a shot in the opening period and
Blake Holtman (Milford, Ohio/Milford) blanketed the league's leading scorer, Danny Ruple, all over the field.
"We played a very strong first half, but credit to BW, they adjusted and came out and took it to us in the beginning of the second half," Bergin said. "What I like is that we didn't fold and Gavin and Jovonni both put in brilliant goals to get us the points we needed to play on. Qualifying for the OAC Tournament six years in a row is quite the accomplishment for the past and present players that have worn the MC crest."
Baldwin Wallace levelled the match five minutes into the second half. Ruple dropped a corner kick into the box where Shaheen Ghahremani was waiting to place it inside the far post for his first goal of the season.
The Yellow Jackets stayed on the attack and just missed a go-ahead goal when Dylan Keeling lined a shot off the right post in the 72nd minute.
Keeling's near miss reenergized the Pioneers and Marietta grabbed the lead 20 seconds later.
Caden Ferguson (Mars, PA./Mars Area) sent a through ball into the box where
Gavin Long (Surrey, United Kingdom/John Fisher School) placed the ball inside the right post for the game winner. The goal was Long's eighth of the year.
Three minutes later,
Jovonni Auddino (Columbus, Ohio/Westerville North) made it 3-1 with an unassisted goal. The freshman fired his shot from the top of the 18-yard box inside the right post for his second goal of the fall.
Dakota Penquite (Blanchester, Ohio/Blanchester) went the distance in goal for the Pioneers and recorded three second half saves for the win. Patrick Mehal posted four saves in net for the Yellow Jackets.
Marietta opens play in the OAC Tournament on Tuesday (Nov. 5) at No. 3 seed Ohio Northern University in the quarterfinal round.
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.
