Scots Hoping to Earn NCAC Tourney Berth in Final Week

For The Week Of:
October 23, 2006

Written by Hugh Howard
330-263-2374
Email Story

Derek Schook

The College of Wooster menês soccer team, rated No. 7 in this weekês NCAA Div. III Great Lakes coachesê poll, looks to lockup a berth in the four-team North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament when the Fighting Scots take to the field for their final two league contests. Wooster is currently tied for third-place with Oberlin College, as each squad has 4-2-1 NCAC records for 13 points (3 points for a win, 1 for a tie), one point ahead of fifth-place Allegheny College (4-3). First, the Scots travel to seventh-place Kenyon College (3-8-3, 1-4-2 NCAC) Wednesday, Oct. 25, for a 4 p.m. tilt. Wooster is 30-15-3 all-time against Kenyon, having won four-straight over the Lords, including 2-0 last fall. Then, on Saturday, Oct. 28, second-place Denison University (9-4-1, 6-1-0 NCAC) invades the Scotsê Carl Dale Field for a 3:30 p.m. game that will likely have significant postseason implications. Wooster is 19-17-3 in the series with Denison, although the Big Red dealt the Scots a tough 2-1 overtime loss last season.

Last Week: Wooster won both of its matches last week, moving the Scots back into the race for a postseason berth and 10-3-1 overall. On Oct. 18, Wooster handed Hiram College a 3-1 defeat at Carl Dale Field. The Scots jumped on the board first a little less than eight minutes into the action, when a cross from Derek Schook (Marshall, Mich. / Marshall) was misjudged by the Hiram goalie and found the top left corner of the net for Schook's first career goal. Scott Buckwald (Seville, Ohio / Cloverleaf) was given credit for the assist. Two minutes later, Buckwald hit Karl Ruter (Glenview, Ill. / Glenbrook South) with a sliding pass, which Ruter snuck into the left corner of the net, giving Wooster a 2-0 advantage. Hiram found the back of the net, capitalizing on a free kick at the 35:30 mark to pull within one. The Scots tacked on another first-half goal with 2:49 remaining when Davis Bates (Frankfort, Ky. / Frankfort) booted his first career goal off of a Tim Presto assist (Wadsworth, Ohio / Wadsworth), giving Wooster a 3-1 halftime cushion. There was no scoring in the second half, as Scot goalie Erik Larson (El Paso, Texas / Stony Point) preserved the win with four of his nine saves.
On Oct. 21, Wooster scored two goals early in the second half, lifting the Scots over visiting Wabash College 2-0. The scoring began at the 47:02 mark when Ruter took a free kick that was headed into the net by sophomore Steve Fracasso (Wadsworth, Ohio / Wadsworth). That was followed by Fracasso sending a through ball to Nick Waychoff (Cleveland Hts., Ohio / Cleveland Heights), who in turn, blasted home a goal at 56:02. Fracasso leads the team in goals with seven, while it marked Waychoffês third. Larson was credited with a shutout, his seventh.