For the second consecutive match the Wabash soccer team appeared headed for a tie. However, Femi Oluyedun's acrobatic goal with 2:31 left in Saturday's second overtime period gave the Little Giants a 2-1 won against Wooster in North Coast Athletic Conference soccer action.
Oluyedun twisted sideways to score his second goal of the season on a deflected ball in front of the net. The attempt sailed past Wooster goalkeeper and 2008 NCAC Newcomer of the Year Taylor Takacs for the 2-1 victory. The win marks the first time the Little Giants have won their opening conference contest since recording a 2-1 win in 2005 at Kenyon to start the league portion of the season at 1-0 and was the first home conference win since a 3-1 victory over Hiram in 2006.
"I'm very pleased with the result, obviously," Head Coach Roberto Giannini said. "We broke a pattern that we've had in the past years by winning a conference game at home. Mostly I'm very proud and impressed as a spectator of the game of soccer how this soccer team played today. It was a beautiful game to watch.
"We really worked to create opportunities to score with 10 shots on goal and 30 shots total. We just didn't capitalized on the chances we had to score. Credit a lot of that to the Wooster goalkeeper. He made several tremendous saves throughout the match."
Sophomore Dylan Andrew put the first score up on the board for the Little Giants when he took a pass from Allan Swan to tally his team-high fourth goal of the season in the 44th minute to give Wabash a 1-0 halftime lead. Wooster tied the match at 1-1 when Karl Ruter scored with eight minutes remaining in regulation.
"Dylan's goal was a beautiful shot," Giannini said. "It was a quick 1-2 play off the pass from Swan, which is something we've practiced quite a bit this season, but were really able to execute on that play.
"For a moment I thought 'Again?' after seeing a 2-0 lead disappear Wednesday in our 2-2 tie with DePauw. Today they believed in themselves, they continued to play the same type of soccer as they played in regulation time. Then Femi was rewarded with the goal in the second overtime for his great effort throughout the game."
Wabash outshot the Scots 30-10. Little Giant goalkeeper Pat West recorded his third victory of the season by making three saves along with a key defensive play moments before Oluyedun's winning shot.
The Little Giants even their season record at 3-3-1, while Wooster falls to 2-3-1 and 0-1 in the NCAC. Wabash will play Anderson University Wednesday afternoon at 5 p.m. at Mud Hollow Field.
Photos - (top left) Femi Oluyedun goes horizontal on this game-winning goal to give the Little Giants the 2-1 victory Saturday over Wooster. Photos by Susan Albrecht.
(Middle right) Sophomore Dylan Andrew scored his fourth goal of the year to put Wabash up 1-0 in the first half.
(Bottom left) Wabash goalkeeper Pat West collected this ball before Wooster could put a shot on net in the second overtime. Moments later Oluyedun scored the overtime "golden goal" for the Little Giants.