Oberlin, Ohio - Securing a late goal under two minutes until the end of the match, the Oberlin College men's soccer team defeated Baldwin Wallace 1-0 on Thursday night. With the win, the Yeomen improve to 2-6-1 on the year.
Junior Vince Fortuna appeared in the cage for all 90 minutes of the contest, delivering three saves on the night.
Baldwin Wallace controlled time of possession early on in the first half, securing their first shot on goal after a corner. Heading the ball towards the bottom right corner of the net, Fortuna made the diving stop to register his first save of the night. The Yellowjackets continued to produce offensive pressure, recording a pair of shots and winning two corners eight minutes into the match.
The Yeomen opened offensive play when junior Leo Pelizzari-Astle sent a shot that was blocked by a Baldwin Wallace defender at 14:58. Sophomore Suryansh Yadav drilled a pair of back-to-back shots followed by an attempt from freshman Brendan Tan at 23', but none were able to convert. Neither team was able to post a shot on goal for the remainder of the period, going into halftime scoreless.
The Yellowjackets opened the second half with six shots before Oberlin got their first sight of a shot. Bringing the ball downfield and facing three Baldwin Wallace defenders, junior Michael Dolton sent a shot towards the goal, hoping to notch the first goal of the night, but the Yellowjackets' goalie kept the ball out of the net. First-year Orlando Popkin sent a shot on target at 72' but was unable to find the back of the net.
With under 90 seconds remaining in the second half, senior Enrique Porras Jr. registered the short pass to Dolton to set the junior up for the shot. Dolton drilled the ball to the top right corner of the goal past the Yellowjackets' goalkeeper to get the Yeomen on the board. Baldwin Wallace was unable to respond, allowing the Crimson and Gold to clinch the 1-0 victory under the lights.
"I'm so proud of the group," Head Coach Blake New states. "We had three days to prepare a game plan and at the last minute, we had to pivot because of injury and sickness. Despite that, we had such a great attitude and demeanor tonight."
The Yeomen have a quick turnaround as they return to Shults to host Muskingum on Saturday, September 27. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.
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