DELAWARE, Ohio - The Allegheny men's soccer team saw its three-game winning streak snapped with a 5-0 loss at Ohio Wesleyan University.
The defeat was the Gators' first in North Coast Athletic Conference play, dropping their conferene mark to 3-1-1 on the season, while Ohio Wesleyan ran its unbeaten streak to seven games, and improved to 4-0-1 in the NCAC.
The Battling Bishops got off to a fast start, cashing in on their fourth corner kick of the game with a header goal by Phoenix Neitzelt in the game's 11th minute.
Ohio Wesleyan continued to press, adding on to the lead when Brian Schaefer scored his NCAC-leading 13th goal of the season with a penalty kick at the midpoint of the first half, before going in front 3-0 10 minutes later when Kyle Baum sent home a cross inside the box.
The Gators looked to wrest some of the momentum from the Battling Bishops as the first half wound down, taking six shots in the final seven minutes of the half. The visitors' best chance at finding the net before the intermission came with 90 seconds left, but a
Tolossa Hassan shot was saved by OWU keeper Ben Farynowski.
The late surge allowed the Gators to pull even with the Battling Bishops in the shot column, with each team taking six apiece. The Battling Bishops doubled up Allegheny on first half corner kicks, 6-3.
Ohio Wesleyan looked to add on to its lead as the second half began, as the Bishops posted five shots and three corner kicks in the first 12 minutes of the half. However, Allegheny keeper
Jake Pugliese kept the Gators in the game, making three saves over the span.
Farynowski turned in a pair of saves on shots by
Carl Pohlman and
Izaak Miller in a five-minute span, before the Battling Bishops took advantage of another corner kick with 12 minutes left, with Will Sharer scoring on a deflected ball in front to make it 4-0. The hosts maintained the momentum and closed out the scoring two minutes later on a header goal by Matt Cohen.
The Battling Bishops out-shot the Gators 13-4 over the second half and 19-10 for the game, while Miller tallying a team-leading three for Allegheny. Pugliese finished with five saves in goal.
The Gators will look to return to winning ways on Wednesday, Oct. 20th, traveling to NCAC foe Oberlin for a 7 p.m. contest.
