WOOSTER, Ohio – The College of Wooster men's soccer team ended its four-game losing skid with a resilient 2-0 shutout win over Hiram College as both teams opened North Coast Athletic Conference play at Carl Dale Field on Saturday afternoon.

Sophomore Austin Russell cuts back during Wooster's 2-0 win against Hiram College on Saturday.

The Fighting Scots (3-5-1, 1-0-0 NCAC) pulled ahead in the 22nd minute when first-year Max Rochester delivered a well-timed through-ball to senior Kieffer Hessler, who finished just inside the Hiram six-yard-box for the game-winning goal.

Both teams recorded four shots in the opening 45 minutes as Wooster maintained a 1-0 lead going into the break.

In the 79th minute, senior captain Zachary Mastrich doubled the lead for the Scots after tapping in a cross from sophomore Andrew Klein, whose quick stop-and-go step-over provided just enough space for a feed from the left side.

From there, the Scots packed it in defensively and did not allow Hiram to materialize any major threats as the Scots closed out the game for their first conference-opener win since 2008.

The Terriers (2-4-2, 0-1-0 NCAC) outshot the Scots 13-12 on the day, while Wooster won the corner kick advantage 7-0.

Junior Scot Stacho posted a clean slate on the afternoon with five saves.

The Scots return to action against Bluffton University (3-4-0) on Wednesday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. at Carl Dale Field.