WOOSTER, Ohio – Hiram College scored twice during what
turned into a foul- and penalty-filled second half, as The College
of Wooster dropped a tough 2-0 decision Wednesday afternoon in the
teams' North Coast Athletic Conference men's soccer
match-up.
The two entered in a tie for fourth-place in the NCAC standings,
and with the top-four from the regular season advancing to the
league's postseason tournament, a lot was riding on the
outcome. That led to a testy second half, especially following a
foul in the box called on Wooster (6-8-1, 3-4-0 NCAC) during the
60th minute, resulting in a penalty kick for Hiram (11-4, 4-2
NCAC).
With the game 0-0, the Terriers' David Krems had been
dribbling towards the goal from the right side when he went down,
drawing the whistle. Matt Urban stepped up and delivered the
penalty kick to the lower left of the net, just past Fighting Scot
goalie Taylor Takacs, who had guessed correctly, but couldn't
get his outstretched hand on the well placed ball.
Hiram tacked on an insurance goal in the 84th minute. Krems again
had a run down the right and took a shot this time, which was
momentarily saved by Takacs, but Nick Gdanetz was there to touch
the rebound in for a score.
In between the two goals, tensions ran high. The squads combined
for 24 fouls throughout the second half alone and five yellow cards
and one red card were issued overall.
Wooster's best scoring chance actually came moments before
the penalty kick, when Karl Ruter headed a ball just wide on the
left side.
Overall, Takacs was solid once again, earning credit for eight
saves, while the Terriers' Nate Rausch made three to preserve
the shutout.
The Scots have two regular season games remaining, first traveling
to Allegheny College (4-8-2, 2-2-1 NCAC) next Wednesday night.
Hiram Edges Wooster in Battle of Fourth-Place NCAC Teams
Posted: Oct 22, 2008