Sophomore Travis Wall scored both Ohio Wesleyan University goals in the Battling Bishops 2-0 victory over the Denison Big Red in North Coast Athletic Conference action at Deeds Field-Piper Stadium on Saturday afternoon in Granville.
The sophomore didn't waste any time giving third-ranked OWU an early edge. Wall took a pass from his older brother Tyler and scored from roughly 10 yards out at the 7:27 mark. Just four and a half minutes after scoring the first goal of the match, the younger Wall had a chance to double the Ohio Wesleyan lead, but a spectacular diving save by Big Red senior goalie Kevin Donahue (Riverside, Conn./Greenwich) kept it a one-goal contest.
DU had an opportunity to pull even with 5:15 left in the first half. Senior defender Brian Combias (Madison, N.J./The Pingry School) sent a cross that junior Hubert Beuchemin (Hudson, Ohio/Western Reserve Academy) rifled on net, but OWU keeper Paul Hendricks was right there to make the save and preserve the 1-0 lead. All five of the Bishops' shots in the opening half were on goal, while two of Denison's seven shots reached the OWU net.
Wall wasted no time adding an insurance goal in the early stages of the second frame. The sophomore received a pass from Blake Pifer and unloaded a shot through a Denison defender and past Donahue to give Ohio Wesleyan a 2-0 lead.
Junior Ish Ghodbane (St. Louis, Mo./Ladue Horton Watkins) had a couple opportunities to cut the deficit in half with just under 10 minutes to play, but solid defensive play helped OWU come away with the victory.
The Battling Bishops out shot Denison 18-15 which included a 13-8 advantage in the second half. The Big Red had a 5-4 edge in corners, but committed 14 fouls to OWU's eight. Donahue finished the day with seven saves, while Hendricks made six stops.
With the loss, DU falls to 6-4-1 on the season and 2-1 in NCAC action while the Bishops improve to 12-0-2 overall and 4-0 in conference play. Denison returns to action Tuesday when they travel to Richmond, Ind. to take on the Quakers of Earlham College at 4:30 p.m.
