Men's soccer has nail-biter against OWU, loses 1-0

It was a bittersweet 1-0 loss to Ohio Wesleyan University on Saturday that officially closed the season for the men's soccer team. The team lost 14-0 to OWU two years ago and 8-0 last year, so this loss wasn't unexpected, though it was still frustrating to come so close and not win.

"It was a hard way to end the season," sophomore David Lessinger said. "It would have been nice to have the seniors beat OWU."

The team poured it on against the Battling Bishops, never letting up. "We played very hard and physical," Coach Chris Barker said. "I wanted our guys to not back off and to go strong to the ball."

"We had a good deal of heart and determination," senior Brendan Cody said. "We never quit- in fact you could say that about the whole season."

"It was a very intense game," senior J.T. Engelhardt said.

The Bishops pretty much dominated the game, with Oberlin's few scoring opportunities coming on breakaway plays that invariably ended with a heart-wrenching miss. In spite of this, the Yeomen defense thwarted every force thrown against it. "It was one of our better defensive efforts," Cody said.

"The defense was incredible," sophomore Zach Fine said. "J.T., [senior] James Richter and [sophomores] John Nishan and Chris Nytch had a spectacular game. They really were just on fire. They had lots of heart and OWU just couldn't get by them."

"I was really proud of our defense," Engelhardt said. "The whole team played defense. Everybody was back blocking shots, which was one reason we didn't have as much offense."

The team went into the half 0-0, and play continued that way until OWU scored on a defensive breakdown with about 10 minutes to play. "We still didn't give up," Fine said. "Our defense was still hard to deal with and we kept on fighting."

Fine blamed the lack of score production on himself. "Personally I had a horrible game," he said. "I didn't have enough control of the ball and I felt like I let a lot of people down."

"That's go- ing a little bit too far," Engelhardt said. "Everyone makes mistakes. He played a fine game but he walked to the opposite corner of the field after the game and just sat there. Zach wanted to have the game of his career."

T he team's problem with scoring goes back to the troubles finishing they have experienced over the season. "If we can get to a better overall technical level, we will be a great team," Barker said.

"A lot of the time we'd have two players up front with no one to drop to," Engelhardt said. "They'd have to dribble and get the ball taken away, and then we'd be back to playing defense again."

One reason for the intensity of the game was Ohio Wesleyan's experienced underhandedness. "They did all the dirty little stuff while we did the blatant stuff," Barker said.

"They were really dirty and smart dirty too," Engelhardt said. "They were antagonistic and skilled players. If they would beat us on defense we would have to tackle them."

"They were scrappy and good at hiding it," Lessinger said.

Engelhardt used an elbow to fend off one player who tried to come over his back, which resulted in the player standing on Engelhardt's toes with his spikes. Engelhardt shoved him off and the player dived to the ground in time for the referee to turn and see the act. Barker quickly got Engelhardt off the field. "He thought I was getting hot-headed," Engelhardt said. "I wasn't."

This year's men's soccer team has gotten incredibly close, supported by a Fall Break trip to Vermont and driven by a tough season against nationally ranked schools that have failed to completely overpower the young team.

The Yeomen are graduating five seniors and they have no juniors. The remaining 26 members are all first-years and sophomores.

"We're definitely a young team," Lessinger said. "As a team we were closer than last year. We gelled more off the field. Even though it was a tough season we progressed steadily, in a manner more noticeable than last."

"This is one of the greatest bunch of guys I've ever been on a team with," Engelhardt said. "We have a lot of love for each other."

"This season has been my best experience in sports ever," Cody said. "It was the joy of being on a real team that really developed its play from where it started as compared to where it's gotten to."

Barker is pleased with his team's commitment to each other and to the team as a whole. "We never gave up, no matter what the score was" he said. "We were down 4-0 at the half against State University of New York- Plattsburgh, but then came back to shut them out 1-0 in the second half. This shows a lot of pride. We always stayed positive with everyone, and we never pointed fingers. They've showed a lot of character."

The coach is also very pleased with the output of his seniors and the strength of his captains, Cody and senior Sam Krasnow. "Krasnow, Cody, Engelhardt, [seniors] James Richter, Gordon Schoenfeld and John Nishan were all solid contributors," he said. "Both captains have been great leaders and will be sorely missed."

Barker also recognized the rising talent of his younger players. "[First-year] Sam Hopkins has been real solid and we can always count on him on the outside," he said. "David Lessinger has been solid in the middle and [first-year] Stephen Kehler has had a real gutsy season. He's a real hard-nosed player."

The team has a positive regard for their coach as well. "Chris did everything he could have," Fine said. "He moved people around a lot."

"Barker did a great job this year," Cody said. "It was definitely a tough season that could have dismantled a lot of teams, but we made it through."

The Yeomen have high hopes for next year. "I would not be shocked to see this team go .500 next season," Barker said.

"We kept on getting closer as a group," Fine said. "This is definitely a special group. It's too bad we couldn't win more. We've created a great spirit going into next year. We have a unit built that really knows each other."

"I'm going to miss playing," Engelhardt said. "I was sitting on the bench and it was a very emotional experience to watch those final seconds tick off in my final varsity game."

Even though the season is over, the soccer team is sure to keep playing together. "These guys are still fired about playing," Barker said. "They're starting an indoor league, inter-team, to get to know one another even better. This shows a commitment to the team."

The team finishes with a record of 2-14-1, but preserves the season in their minds as a positive one. "They know we're on the right track," Barker said. "The wins will come. In the games we've played our best, even if it was only for 20 to 30 minutes, we've been as good or better than any team we've played."

"I know we're better than our record showed," Engelhardt said. "We could hang with anybody in the conference."

Over run: Some opponent gets rid of the ball before sophomore John Wilson can change direction. (photo by John Matney)