Scots Hitting the Road for Two Key NCAC Tilts

Nick Waychoff

Currently in third-place in the North Coast Athletic Conference with a 2-1-1 league record, The College of Wooster has two more key matches slated for this week. First, on Tuesday, Oct. 9, the Fighting Scots visit Hiram College (9-2-1, 1-2-0 NCAC) for their annual meeting, with kickoff at 4:30 p.m. Wooster has defeated Hiram every season since 2001, including 3-1 last fall when all four goals were scored during the first half, to improve to 17-6-3 in the all-time series. The Scots travel to central Ohio on Friday, Oct. 12, for a night game with Ohio Wesleyan University (9-5, 2-2 NCAC), currently ranked No. 8 in the NCAA Div. III Great Lakes coaches’ poll, starting at 7:30 p.m. Ohio Wesleyan, a traditional power, leads Wooster 28-11-7 all-time, however, the Scots have accounted themselves very well of late with a 2-3-2 record over their last seven match-ups, including a 0-0 deadlock last year.

Last Week: Wooster tied one match and won another, moving its overall record to 6-4-1, including 2-1-1 in NCAC play.

On Oct. 3, the Scots had a couple of quality scoring opportunities late, but were unable to light up the scoreboard, settling for a 0-0 tie with visiting Oberlin College. The best scoring chance for either squad came in the second overtime when Wooster was awarded a free kick just outside the right corner of the goal box. Jason Bowie (Delaware, Ohio / Rutherford B. Hayes) took it, firing the ball towards the lower right corner only to see the Yeomen’s goalie make a diving save. The two teams were evenly matched, with the Scots holding a slight overall edge in shots (10-9). Wooster goalkeepers Patryk Tenorio (Tawas City, Mich. / St. Stephen’s Episcopal – Texas) and Jordan O’Boyle (Hudson, Ohio / Western Reserve Academy) combined for three saves.

On Oct. 6, the Scots halted Kenyon College’s 10-game win streak, squeaking out a 1-0 victory at Wooster’s Carl Dale Memorial Field as part of “Homecoming” weekend. The lone score came during the 76th minute, as Nick Waychoff (Cleveland Hts., Ohio / Cleveland Heights) converted a corner kick opportunity with a pass from Scott Buckwald (Seville, Ohio / Cloverleaf). The goal was Waychoff’s third this fall and it marked Buckwald’s first helper. Tenorio and O’Boyle registered five saves apiece for the Scots in the shutout.