HIRAM, Ohio – October 19, 2024 – The Hiram men's soccer team was inches away from leading Kenyon, the No. 16 team in all of Division III, in the second half of a conference affair at Henry Field.
Freshman Colin Rieger took a deflection from a free kick and timed his shot perfectly in the 58th minute of a 0-0 contest, sinking it through the back of the net before the referees ruled it offsides, which negated the goal.
The Owls went on to score twice in the remaining 30 minutes of the second half, doing just enough in the closing moments to claim a 2-0 win over Hiram on Saturday afternoon in one of the best matches of the season. Kenyon is now 9-2-3 this season (3-2 in NCAC) after the United Soccer Coaches ranked them 16th nationally in their latest poll from this past Tuesday.
The Terriers, who already tied the defending PAC Champions (Geneva) earlier this year, continue to trend in the right direction. The team has been within striking distance of beating three of its last four NCAC opponents in this month alone.
Erik Rangel Negrete led the Terriers with a pair of shot attempts, while the defensive unit – spearheaded by Simon Schonfeld and Ryan Graber – did its part to limit the talented opposition to just 11 shots on target. Graber had one of the biggest highlights of the day, as he saved a shot by Kenyon's Justin Buchwalter in the 30th minute by flinging his right leg out in a split-second maneuver to keep it a 0-0 game leading into the intermission.
The Owls, who have a 3-1-1 record against nationally ranked opponents this season, would get a pair of goals from Isaac Cortez in the 73rd and 86th minutes to pick up the win in dramatic fashion. Hiram's Tyler Jurgensen also had a strong afternoon, finishing with eight saves.
Next, the Terriers will travel to Oberlin, Ohio to take on the Yeomen on Wednesday at 7 p.m. from Shults Field.
