BEREA, Ohio – There were no shortage of 5-O's today as the Baldwin Wallace University men's soccer team routed the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford by a final score of 5-0 this afternoon in the program's 50th Anniversary Game on Tressel Field.
BW (4-2) senior three-time All-Ohio Athletic Conference and two-time Academic All-American forward Danny Ruple (Berea/Berea-Midpark), who set the program's career goals record on Wednesday, continued right where he left off as he scored a hat-trick becoming the only player in program history to attain 50 career goals.
Only 42 seconds into the game, Ruple received the ball from just outside the box and was able to maneuver his way into scoring position and bury his team-leading seventh goal of the campaign to put BW up 1-0. In the 30th minute, freshman midfielder Andras Fabian (Hinckley/Highland) finished off a fabulous passing play by sophomore midfielder Dylan Keeling (Rocky River) and freshman forward Jared Webb (Southfield, Mich./Brother Rice) for his second goal of the season. The Yellow Jackets closed their strong first half with a 2-0 lead and a 6-1 advantage in the shots on goal category.
At halftime, more than 40 BW men's soccer alumni and past coaches, spanning 50 years, were celebrated on the field in front of a festive crowd. There were also two members of the original 1969 team in attendance, whom were given a special recognition and made a brief cameo in the broadcast booth.
The second half featured much of the same one-sidedness for BW as the first, as they were able to pile on another three goals. In the 53rd minute, Ruple scored his second goal of the contest and eighth of the season on a precisely placed free kick that found the low left corner of the net. Roughly four minutes later, the Panthers' keeper mistimed a bouncing ball that hopped over him and found its way onto the foot of the Yellow Jackets' Webb, whose easy tap-in secured his first collegiate goal. Ruple completed the hat-trick in the 66th minute on a great individual effort to not only put BW up 5-0, but also reaching the unpecedented 50 career goals plateau.
Senior goalkeeper Patrick Mehal (Richfield/Revere) made one save and allowed no goals in 58:48 of action before being substituted for freshman Nolan Kellogg (Strongsville). Mehal, who has made every start for the Yellow Jackets this season, improved his record to 4-2 on the season. Meanwhile, Kellogg made one save in 31:12 of play, securing the combined team shutout for BW.
The Yellow Jackets return to the pitch on Wednesday, September 18 when they travel to nearby Oberlin to take on Oberlin College for a non-conference matchup at 7:00 p.m.
