Scots Bring Undefeated Record on Road for First Time

For The Week Of:
September 18, 2006

Written by Hugh Howard
330-263-2374
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Brenton Allen

After a perfect 5-0 season-opening homestand, The College of Wooster menês soccer team looks to keep its record unblemished when it hits the road for the first time in 2006 a couple of times this week. First, the Fighting Scots, ranked fourth in the NCAA Div. III Great Lakes Region, travel to Muskingum College (4-2) on Wednesday, Sept. 20, for a 4:30 p.m. match-up. Wooster is 9-2 in the all-time series with the Muskies, the most recent being a 4-0 victory for the Scots during 2002. Also this week, Wooster opens the North Coast Athletic Conference portion of its schedule with a visit to Earlham College (4-2, 0-0 NCAC) Saturday, Sept. 23. Opening kickoff in Richmond, Ind., is slated for 2 p.m. The Scots own a 19-7-2 record over the Quakers in 28 meetings, including a 2-1 win last fall.

Last Week: Wooster earned two more one-goal victories last week to improve to 5-0.
On Sept. 12, the Scots scored late in regulation and early in overtime for a come-from-behind 2-1 win over visiting Marietta College in non-league play. Down 1-0 with the clock winding down, Wooster had a series of runs and crosses into the box and finally converted one when sophomore Nick Waychoff (Cleveland Hts., Ohio / Cleveland Heights) looped a long pass from the left wing to Steve Fracasso (Wadsworth, Ohio / Wadsworth), who was positioned near the right post and headed it in with just 2:41 remaining in regulation. The Scots carried that momentum into overtime, as Brenton Allen (Newark, Ohio / Granville) provided the game-winner just 4:02 into the first extra session. With the Marietta goalkeeper screened from the action, he drove a shot from outside the box just inside the lower left post. Defensively, Erik Larson (El Paso, Texas / Stony Point) tallied five saves in helping Wooster to the win.
On Sept. 16, Karl Ruter (Glenview, Ill. / Glenbrook South) scored the gameês lone goal, as the Scots got past John Carroll University 1-0 in a defensive battle at Carl Dale Memorial Field. Ruter, with assists from Fracasso and Waychoff, lofted the ball over the goalie's head into the upper right corner of the net in the 56th minute. Larson picked up his second shutout of the year, recording three saves along the way.