Wooster Home for Two NCAC Matches This Week

Warren Swegal

After losing to the top-two teams in the NCAA Div. III Great Lakes Region coaches’ poll last week, The College of Wooster is hoping to get back in the win column with two league affairs on tap for this week. On Wednesday, Oct. 3, Wooster will welcome North Coast Athletic Conference foe Oberlin College (6-3-2, 1-1-0 NCAC), currently rated ninth in the region, to Carl Dale Memorial Field at 4:30 p.m. It could be a pivotal match-up in the Fighting Scots’ bid for a postseason berth, as 1-0 losses to Oberlin the last two years have helped prevent Wooster from making the four-team NCAC Tournament. The Scots still own a commanding 31-14-2 lead in the all-time series. Wooster will also be home this Saturday, Oct. 6, hosting Kenyon College (9-1, 2-0 NCAC) at 3:30 p.m. Kenyon enters this week on a nine-match win streak and ranked No. 7 in the Great Lakes, however, the Scots have not lost to the Lords since 2001 and hold a 30-15-4 advantage over them historically.

Last Week: Wooster dropped two challenging road games last week to slip to 5-4 overall, including 1-1 in the NCAC.

On Sept. 26, the Scots were shutout for the first time this season, as then-No. 2 ranked Case Western Reserve University prevailed 3-0 in a non-conference affair between the two northeast Ohio schools. Case scored twice during the first half and then once early in the second to put the match away. Freshman Jordan O’Boyle (Hudson, Ohio / Western Reserve Academy) helped Wooster stay within striking distance, as he registered six saves during the first 45 minutes, while classmate Patryk Tenorio (Tawas City, Mich. / St. Stephen’s Episcopal – Texas) made one in the second half.

On Sept. 29, the Scots suffered a frustrating 2-0 setback at NCAC rival Wittenberg University. Wittenberg got on the board just five minutes in, but it remained 1-0 until the 75th minute when the Tigers notched another tally for a two-goal cushion. Wooster’s goalies continued to split time, as Tenorio played the first and made two saves and O’Boyle registered eight in the second.