Wabash picked up a 4-3 victory at Earlham Wednesday night in the first of two key North Coast Athletic Conference matches on the schedule this week. The victory puts the Little Giants in sole possession of fourth place in the conference standings with one game remaining in the regular season.
“I could not be more proud of these guys,” head coach Roberto Giannini said. “This team showed so much heart today. This was really a great testimony of what this team has worked toward this season.”
Earlham scored first on a shot by Nick Costello in the 12th minute to put the home team up 1-0. Wabash roared back with three unanswered goals. The first came on Femi Oluyedun’s team-leading eighth goal of the season. The sophomore forward collected a pass from freshman Ryan Fier in the 20th minute before beating Earlham goalkeeper Jonah Kreniske tie the match at 1-1.
The next Wabash goal in the 27th minute when Allan Swan took a pass from Andrew Pearcy to score his second goal of the season, giving the Little Giants the 2-1 lead. Less than 10 minutes later Mark Babcock added his seventh goal of the year off a pass from Dylan Andrew for a 3-1 lead with a few minutes remaining in the first period.
Earlham took advantage of those remaining minutes, drawing to within one goal on a shot by Omar Dreidi.
“We fell behind when we made an early mistake, but responded with three really great goals,” Giannini said. “I thought we played great soccer for next 20 minutes of the half, maybe our best soccer of the season.”
The Quakers brought the home crowd to life with an equalizing goal 11 minutes into the second half. Bannet Asingura tied the match at 3-3 in the 57th minute on a muddy field after a solid day of rain on Tuesday.
Wabash battled back, beginning to play the same style of soccer that had created the 3-1 lead. The hard work led to what would prove to be the game-winning goal in the 79th minute. Fier picked up his second assist of the match when he played a ball ahead to Austin Jennings. The sophomore had only the goalkeeper between himself and goal, waiting before putting a chip shot in the back of the net for his sixth goal of the season and second game winner.
“I was so proud of the way our guys stayed in the game, the way they stayed composed,” Giannini said. “We really picked up the quality of our play again after Earlham tied the match at 3-3, which was really nice to see. Fier made a nice touch to Jennings to set up a one-versus-one with the Earlham goalkeeper. Austin really kept his cool, didn’t rush the play, and chipped a ball past the keeper to score the game-winning goal.”
The victory moves Wabash to 9-8-1 on the season and 4-4 in the North Coast Athletic Conference. The nine victories are the most by a Little Giant soccer team since posting an 11-7-1 record in 1998. The win, coupled with Oberlin’s 2-0 loss at Kenyon Tuesday night, also moves Wabash into the lead for the final spot in the upcoming NCAC Men’s Soccer Tournament. The top four teams in the final standings --- based on total points with teams receiving three points for a win and one point for tie --- earn a place in the tournament. The Little Giants have 12 points, trailing Ohio Wesleyan (21 points), Denison (16 points), and Kenyon (16 points). Hiram and Oberlin each have 10 points. A win by Wabash Saturday at Oberlin would earn the Little Giants their first NCAC tournament berth since joining the league in 1999.
Photos - (top right) Femi Oluyedun has a clear path to the net for the first of three opening-period goals for Wabash.
(Bottom left) Allan Swan added his second goal of the season to help Wabash to a 4-3 win over Earlham. Photos by Susan Albrecht.
