As the first full week of classes came to an end, the men’s soccer team marched down to the Jay Martin Soccer Complex for their first game of the season against Mount Union on August 30.
Before I even stepped foot into the complex’s parking lot, I could sense the spirit of Senior Night. I could hear the roar of the other players from the road as the seniors stepped onto the field one by one. Most of all, I could see the excitement Photo by Marcus Valcourt
in the crowd of students and parents alike when stepping into the crowd.
In a matter of moments, the kickoff started and the intense game began.
Both teams went back and forth with strong possessions during the first half of the game until Christopher Guerra scored Ohio Wesleyan’s first goal from the top of the 18. The beautiful goal was only met with roaring cheers from the crowd.
Mount Union had a chance to answer right back, but the well-placed shot was expertly saved by OWU goalkeeper, Sam Whitman. After a couple more possessions, the first half ended with OWU leading 1-0.
Despite OWU coming back from halftime confident and ready, Mount Union answered back with a goal of their own, tying up the game with a score of 1-1.
At this point, the crowd was getting extremely rowdy, namely the OWU student section. Students knew how much Senior Night meant to the team and the seniors, as well as how it alluded to the trajectory of the season ahead.
Knowing this, Guerra scored another goal with the help of a great pass from Franklin Rodriguez. With a 2-1 lead and a lot of momentum, the OWU squad led in possessions for the rest of the game.
Another goal from Gabe O’Reilly and many more saves from Whitman gave OWU everything they needed to secure the 3-1 win.
The energy the men played with this night set the tone for a promising season ahead for the OWU men’s soccer team.
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