Box Score We are five weeks away from the postseason, but tonight's North Coast Athletic Conference lid-lifter between ninth-ranked Denison and Ohio Wesleyan had a certain playoff feel to it.
The Big Red drew first blood with a goal in the 22nd minute but the Battling Bishops would come back with the equalizer in the 78th minute. After two overtime periods couldn't decide a winner, officials called it a 1-1 draw in front of a standing room only crowd at Barclay-Thomsen Field.
The first goal of the match would come after a corner kick attempt by the Big Red. Jake Girardot played a short corner kick to Kennedy Kommor who attempted a line drive shot attempt into the box. That's where Karch Majtenyi gained control of Kommor's shot. He turned and fired his own shot past the OWU keeper for the night's first tally. The goal was the third of the season for the first-year defender from Raleigh, N.C.
Just five minutes before the intermission, Denison came close to taking a 2-0 lead when Ryan Fine played an outstanding long ball to Luis Zamora whose shot wound up sailing wide of the goal.
In the second half, the tenison continued to build and this time it was the Big Red defense that was keeping a hard-charging Battling Bishop squad off the scoreboard. It started in the 52nd minute when OWU's Will Sharer took a shot that was blocked by DU defender Jasdeep Khaira.
Minutes later, Denison's Will Kendall fired a shot that forced Bishop keeper Ben Farynowski to dive and fully extend to make a spectacular save. His save would allow the Ohio Wesleyan offense to go back into attack mode and Neil Wilson would have found the nylon if not for a Johnny-on-the-spot team save by DU's Jordan Williams.
Fifteen minutes would pass until Ohio Wesleyan's tying goal from Brian Schaefer. He managed to strike the ball from the far side of the field into the left corner of the frame on a pass from Luke Gabbert.
With the match tied at 1-1, DU had a great chance in the 81st minute to take the lead back when Kendall got free on a breakaway. He was 1v1 with the goalkeeper Farynowski, but his shot attempt went just over the crossbar.
In the first overtime, OWU had the best opportunity to score when Evan Lee fired a shot from just inside the box that would also sail just over the goal. In the second OT, Denison would outshoot Ohio Wesleyan, 3-1. A header by Girardot would be the only shot on-goal in the final period.
DU would edge Ohio Wesleyan 18-17 in the shot category while holding a 7-5 advantage in corner kicks. Blake Schach made six saves while Farynowski finished with five stops for the Bishops. There were two yellow cards, both on OWU.
Denison moves to 7-0-1 while the Bishops record is now 6-2-2. This was the fourth overtime match of the season for the Big Red.
DU will close out its non-conference schedule on Wednesday, Sept. 30 when they travel to Tiffin, Ohio to take on Heidelberg at 4 p.m. They will be back at Barclay-Thomsen Field on Oct. 3 for a 4 p.m. match against Hiram.
