Gambier, Ohio - Highlighted by a goal from
Louis Gandelheid, the Oberlin College men's soccer team defeated North Coast rival Kenyon (RV) 1-0 for the first time since 2006 on Wednesday afternoon. With the groundbreaking win, the Yeomen improve to 4-8-1 overall and 1-1 in conference play.
Delivering eight saves over the course of the match, sophomore Lukas Verling served as the Crimson and Gold's lone goalkeeper, appearing between the pipes for all 90 minutes of regulation. Despite having a 19-5 disadvantage in shots, Oberlin was able to pull ahead of Kenyon, keeping the rivals off the board to end the 19-year drought.
The Owls controlled time of possession for much of the opening half, recording a pair of back-to-back shots at the 12th minute. Bouncing off of a Kenyon attacker, the Owls' sent a quick shot towards the bottom center from within the box. Reacting quickly to the shot, Verling made the diving save but was unable to control the ball. Kenyon regained possession of the loose ball, heading it for a second attempt, but directed the shot above the crossbar to keep the match scoreless.
Oberlin secured their first offensive opportunity at 28:24 following a Kenyon foul. Sending the free kick towards the box, the ball bounced off an Owl defender and was quickly controlled by sophomore Walter Gomez-Torres. Drilling a strike towards the net, the Kenyon backline directed Gomez-Torres' away from the target. The Owls produced a quartet of shots late in the period, adding two more saves to Verling's resume, but the Oberlin backline stayed connected to keep their opponent out of the cage.
Kenyon opened the second half with a trio of corners but were denied scoring opportunities by the Yeomen defense. Following an off-target Owl shot, Oberlin battled to gain possession of the ball. Freshman Alexander Bejarano sent a long ball from the Crimson and Gold defensive end, bouncing off of Michael Dolton. Gaining control of the loose ball, senior Nathan Thompson sent a short pass to Gandelheid. Leaving no time for Kenyon to react, Gandelheid drilled the ball past the Owls' keeper towards the top right of the cage to score the opening goal at 53:40.
Holding a 1-0 edge, Dolton found an offensive opportunity later in the match, hoping to double Oberlin's lead, but was unable to convert. With nearly 15 minutes remaining in the match, Hudson Gazdak sent a shot on target, but the Kenyon keeper kept the sophomore off the board. The Owls continued to put offensive pressure on the Yeomen, but Oberlin executed an unyielding defense to keep the rivals from scoring the equalizer until time expired.
"I'm really proud of the guys for sticking to the game plan and also working through some adversity with a couple of more injuries today," Head Coach Blake New states. "This conference is so hard that every win is a testament to resilience, even the tough ones."
The Yeomen will host NCAC opponent Wittenberg on Saturday, October 11, for Homecoming Weekend. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Keep up with the Crimson and Gold on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, and watch every home game on the Oberlin Sports Network online or on Roku, Apple TV, or Amazon Fire TV.
