Meadville, PA - The Oberlin College men's soccer team controlled possession throughout the contest, earning a, 2-0, win over the Allegheny College Gators on Wednesday night at Frank B. Fuhrer Field.
Chances were plentiful throughout the night for No. 21 Oberlin, evident by their 25 total shots, which included eight on-goal.
The Yeomen would get on the board in the seventh minute when junior
Jesse Lauritsen put one on frame that was initially saved by David Stekla, but senior
Nick Wertman was Johnny-on-the-spot as he cleaned up the rebound and sent it back in for his team-leading 12th goal of the season. The Westlake, Ohio, native has now scored in five out of his last six matches.
As the opening frame moved on, the Yeomen were looking to add on as Wertman had two promising looks with one hitting off the crossbar. Senior
Sam Weiss, freshman
Jiadi Cheng and junior
Jonah Blume-Kemkes also had dangerous chances that went for naught.
After firing off 14 first-half shots, the Yeomen were a little frustrated that they had to settle for just a 1-0 lead at the intermission.
Oberlin had six attempts within the first 11 minutes of the second half, which included a
Sam Weiss header off a corner that went just over the top of the bar.
The Yeomen's persistence would payoff in the 67th minute as sophomore
Trenton Bulucea ripped a shot from just outside the box into the upper right 90 to make it a two-goal advantage. Weiss set him up for his fourth score of the year, earning his third assist in the process.
In the 76th minute Wertman nearly recorded his fourth multiple-goal game of the season, but his header off of Bulucea's corner-kick service hit the crossbar and bounced back.
In the closing seconds of the match, an Oberlin foul set up the Gators with a free kick opportunity from a favorable position on the field, but the shutout would remain intact as their shot flew high of target.
In addition to out-shooting the Gators by eight (25-17), the Yeomen also earned five corners compared to one for Allegheny.
Koryn Kraemer was unchallenged for much of the night as he needed to make just two saves to secure his fifth clean sheet performance of the season and eighth of his career.
The win moved the Yeomen 12-2-1 overall and 5-1-0 in NCAC play. Allegheny fell to 4-9-2 and 2-4-0 in league action.
The Yeomen will have a pivotal conference clash on Saturday when they travel to Ohio Wesleyan University for a 7 p.m. tilt. The Bishops will enter the match at 8-3-3 and 3-1-2 in NCAC play.
