GAMBIER – Second-half goals from Sebastian Gaese, Alem Duratovic and Scott Upton propelled the Kenyon College men’s soccer team to a 3-0 defeat of rival Denison University on Wednesday afternoon at Mavec Field.
Not only did the result improve the No. 3-ranked Owls’ record to 13-0-1 overall and 5-0-1 in North Coast Athletic Conference play, it also extended Kenyon’s conference-record unbeaten streak to 49 games (45-0-4), dating back to the 2016 season.
The loss was Denison’s first in NCAC play and leaves Kenyon and Ohio Wesleyan University as the only two teams with unbeaten conference marks. The Big Red, who remain in second place, are now 8-3-3 overall and 3-1-1 in the NCAC.
After a somewhat uneventful first half, the Owls completely took over the game in the second, starting with Gaese’s goal, which held up as the game-winner. That tally came in the game’s 63rd minute with Upton and Sam Carson working the ball from end to end. When Carson broke free down the right side of the Denison box, he centered a pass that was deflected by a sliding defender. The ball then danced just short of the goal line, and Gaese was in place to tip it in for his eighth goal of the season and the 29th of his career.
Ten minutes later, Kenyon doubled its lead. Luke Muther started the run with a header at midfield. The ball made its way to Duratovic, who then played give-and-go with Atli Hrafnkelsson. Breaking free on the left, Duratovic split two Denison defenders and beat goalkeeper Tommy Prokos, burying the ball in the lower left corner of the Big Red goal.
That score added to Duratovic’s team-leading goal and point totals, which now stand at 11 and 24, respectively. Additionally, the assist was Hrafnkelsson’s sixth, which leads the team.
Kenyon’s final goal came on a free kick, about 20 yards out. Duratovic faked the kick and ran by, leaving room for Upton to perfectly place his shot in the upper left corner of the goal. With a little less than 9 minutes remaining on the clock, that goal left little doubt about the final outcome. It was Upton’s seventh goal of the season and the 25th of his career.
Overall, Kenyon outshot Denison 16-6, while keeper Jack Pedreschi needed to make just three saves to record his seventh shutout of the season.
Looking to conclude the regular-season with an undefeated mark, the Owls have just two games left. Saturday will be a game at Hiram College followed, a week later, by a home game against Wittenberg University.
