Tiger Men’s Soccer Suffers 5-0 Loss to Nationally Ranked Kenyon
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
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0 | 0 | 0 |
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4 | 1 | 5 |
Team Stats
Kenyon
| Game Statistics | Wittenberg | Kenyon |
|---|---|---|
| Shots (on goal) | 4 (2) | 22 (9) |
| Saves | 4 | 2 |
| Fouls | 16 | 20 |
| Corner Kicks | 3 | 8 |
| Offsides | 2 | 7 |
GAMBIER, OH – When the 2024 schedule was put together months ago, it was easy to point to a mid-October stretch as the toughest of the season. Wittenberg's Men's Soccer has found the sledding particularly challenging over the last eight days against the best the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) has to offer.
Coming off a home loss to nationally ranked Denison four days earlier, the Tigers traveled to Kenyon, which has been ranked as high as No. 2, on Wednesday, Oct. 23. The Owls, who were ranked No. 15 in the latest United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division III poll lived up to their lofty billing with a 5-0 defeat of the visiting Tigers. The five goals marked a season-high for the Kenyon offense, while the shutout was the Owls' sixth of the season.
With the loss, Wittenberg fell 3-6-2 overall and 1-3-1 in conference play while Kenyon, the defending league champion and preseason NCAC favorite, improved to 10-2-3 overall and 4-2 in the NCAC. The Tigers now have no margin for error over their final three games - Wittenberg must run the table with wins over Oberlin, Wabash, and Hiram in the final week of the regular season to make the four-team NCAC Tournament. Even then, Wittenberg likely will need some helpful results from other games around the league.
Five different players scored for Kenyon, which built a 4-0 lead before halftime. Gerardo Martinez, Matt Nguyen, Vukasin Tomic, Hayato Ishii, and Moustapha Gassama all scored for the Owls, who out-shot Wittenberg 22-4 and held an 8-3 advantage in corner kicks.
Wittenberg had two shots on goal for the night, one by Collin LaVeck (Carroll, OH / Bloom-Carroll) and the other by Mustapha Kinteh (Columbus, OH / Gahanna Lincoln). Goalkeeper Andrew Cleveland (Commerce City, CO / Eagle Ridge Academy) had three saves and Anthony Hernandez (Cincinnati, OH / Cincinnati Country Day) added another.
Wittenberg will come home to take on Oberlin for Senior Recognition Day in another NCAC matchup, beginning at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26.