In fact, the game was very similar to the 2001 meeting between the two schools on the same pitch. That year, Wabash scored a goal in the 72nd minute to tie the match after an early DePauw goal before the Tigers notched the game-winner with three minutes left in the contest. This year, the Little Giants made no mistakes early. Instead, they nearly scored the early goal.
Seven minutes into the match, sophomore forward Jeff Diebel (Ft. Wayne, IN/Homestead) blasted a shot toward the mouth of the goal, only to see the attempt slam off of the crossbar. Wabash would have another first-half opportunity when junior Colin Smith (Zionsville, IN/Zionsville) got free on the right side of the field, worked his way toward the goal and pulled the trigger on his shot. But DePauw goalie Wes Molyneaux stepped in front to make the save and keep the match scoreless.
At the other end of the pitch, sophomore goalkeeper Will McAdams (Carmel, IN/Carmel) (photo) was kept busy. The Tigers had six shots on goal, but McAdams made every stop, including a save after moving to his left only to have to dive right toward the post to stop a shot attempt.
Both teams continued to battle in the second half. Wabash could not put many shots at the net early in the second period, but DePauw continued to pound shot after shot at McAdams. The sophomore kept turning the Tigers away, making seven saves until the 80th minute.
A pass by the Little Giants was intercepted and lifted over the defense by DePauw where the Tigers’ Craig Lippincott found the ball and drove for the net, kicking a shot past McAdams for the first goal of the match. Less than 30 seconds later, the Tigers added goal number two on a pass from Graham Lukens to Danny Antle.
The Little Giants fought back, final breaking the shut out when senior Sean McNulty (Ft. Wayne, IN/Bishop Luers) lifted a pass over the DePauw defense. Diebel ran under the ball for the open shot at the net, shooting the attempt past Molyneaux for the only Wabash goal of the match with only four minutes remaining. The Little Giants had one more chance on a restart with 1:23 left in the match, but the shot went just over the top of the goal, denying the Little Giants a chance to tie the match.
McAdams turned away 13 shots in the game against the Tigers, ranked fourth in the nation just a week ago in the NSCAA/adidas national poll. Wabash, falling to 3-4 with the loss, had four shots on goal in the match.
The Little Giants will open the North Coast Athletic Conference portion of its season this Saturday, traveling to Oberlin, Ohio to play the Oberlin College Yeomen in a 2 p.m. match.