MARIETTA, Ohio — Marietta College snapped a five-match losing streak with a 2-1 win over Muskingum University Wednesday (Oct. 4) evening in Ohio Athletic Conference men's soccer action. The Pioneers improve to 3-7-1 overall and 1-1 in the OAC. Muskingum moves to an identical 3-7-1 overall record and 1-1 conference record.
"I'm proud of the second half comeback. Eli's (Swirsky) effort was infectious and made a huge difference. His goal sparked the comeback. Gavin (Heighberger) was pressing in the right spot and put us in the lead," Marietta head coach
Joe Bergin said. "The boys' effort remained consistent and each player, whether it was for five minutes or 45 minutes, made the difference."
Despite the Pioneers controlling possession, Muskingum managed to grab an early lead. The Muskies were awarded a corner kick in the tenth minute. Fady Makram dropped the ball into the box where Ryan Wilson came out of the scramble and got a shot off into the lower left corner of the net for a 1-0 lead.
Marietta fired off six shots in the first half, but none of them were on target. The scored remained 1-0 in favor of Muskingum at halftime.
The Pioneers regrouped and increased the offensive pressure in the second half, Marietta tallied the equalizer in similar fashion to Muskingum's goal.
Payton Maynard (Middletown, Ohio/Lebanon) sent a corner kick into the box and Eli Swirky gained possession of the ball and put the ball in for a Pioneer goal.
Gavin Heighberger (Lagrange, Ohio/Elyria) scored the game winner in the 66th minute.
Ben Teasdale (Yorkshire, United Kingdom/Ryedale) sent a long through ball ahead to Heighberger who beat Muskie keeper Logan Caplinger for the goal.
Joey Backhaus (Canfield, Ohio/Canfield) earned the win in goal for the Pioneers. He allowed one goal and made two saves in the victory. Caplinger recorded three saves in goal for the Muskies.
Marietta plays at John Carroll University on Saturday (Oct. 7). Kickoff is set for 5:00 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.
