Posted: Oct 25, 2017
BEREA, Ohio – The Baldwin Wallace University men's soccer team battled Ohio Athletic Conference foe Ohio Northern University into overtime, falling 3-2 on a golden goal by the Polar Bears.
Freshman midfielder Bryce Posner (Aurora) played a ball in to sophomore midfielder Joey Geither (Parma/Normandy) who put a header into the middle of the box for sophomore All-OAC forward Danny Ruple (Berea/Berea-Midpark). Ruple then smashed the ball past a diving goalkeeper into the net for his OAC-leading 19th goal of the season, giving the Yellow Jackets (5-11-2, 1-6-1 OAC) an early lead in the 19th minute. His 19 goals ranks in the top five in the country for NCAA Division III men's soccer.
Ohio Northern (12-5-1, 5-3 OAC) tied the game up in the 37th minute with a goal from Zachary Yoder and held the overall offensive advantage at halftime, taking 11 shots to BW's four.
In the second half, sophomore forward Cole McDaniel (West Liberty/West Liberty Salem) broke the tie in the Yellow Jackets favor with a curling shot toward the upper post in the 67th minute, recording his first collegiate goal. Geither was credited with his second assist of the night.
A penalty kick following a hand ball inside the box gave the Polar Bears an opportunity to tie up the score at 2-2 with 10 minutes remaining in the game. Ohio Northern converted the penalty kick, sending the game into overtime.
Two minutes into the first overtime period, freshman forward Michael Snowball (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel) had the best opportunity for the golden goal with his shot that was saved. Sophomore forward Cannon Dees (Berea/Berea-Midpark) then took a corner kick but could not find any of his teammates for a shot.
Following the corner kick, Ohio Northern moved the ball up the field to senior forward Colin Johnson who eventually scored the golden goal in the 94th minute.
BW will host Capital University for Seniors' and Parents' Night in the season finale on Saturday, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m. inside Finnie Stadium.
