Austin Russell

Matthew Kelly

After conceding a goal in the ninth minute of the match, The College of Wooster's men's soccer team showed resilience with a momentous two-goal second-half swing to take its season opener against Berry College on Saturday at the Transylvania Soccer Showcase in Lexington, Ky.

A back-and-forth start eventually gave way as Berry (1-1-0) drew first blood thanks to a Daniel Shaw finish on a ball from Steven Moore.

Wooster (1-0-0) did not hesitate offensively, however, recording four shots in the next 12 minutes. The first half drew to a close with both teams registering six shots respectively.

The Scots came out of the gates firing in the second half, setting the tone en route to a momentum-swinging pair of goals to give Wooster the lead for good.

In the 49th minute, senior Kieffer Hessler drew the match level after finishing on an assist from sophomore Austin Russell. Six minutes later, Russell again proved himself as facilitator, delivering the assist for senior Matthew Kelly, who put away the game-winning goal.

Seven second-half corners for Berry kept Wooster junior goalkeeper Scot Stacho vigilant, as he finished with three saves on the day. The Scots recorded 12 shots total on the game.

Wooster will face Transylvania University (1-0-0) on Sunday, Sept. 4 at 3:30 p.m in Lexington, Ky.