No. 16 Ohio Northern tops No. 18 Baldwin-Wallace

To come from a goal down to defeat a ranked conference opponent is not an easy accomplishment. But the 16th ranked Polar Bears did just that on Saturday, edging the No. 18 Yellow Jackets of Baldwin-Wallace 2-1. The OAC foes are second and third in conference play, just behind John Carroll who faces Muskingum later in the day.

Ohio Northern junior Nate Bascom had two goals in Saturday's win over Baldwin-Wallace  Ohio Northern Athletics Photo

The first half of the match featured offensive pressure from Ohio Northern, outshooting Baldwin-Wallace 9-5 and owning a 6-1 advantage in corners. But that aggressive play did not effect the play of Yellow jacket keeper junior Ryan Hulings as he collected six saves in the opening half. Freshman teammate Ben Deighton gave some support to Hulings play as he opened the scoring with a 30 yard bullet in the upper corner of the net in the 51st minute.

Nine minutes later, Ohio Northern was continuing to apply pressure when Baldwin-Wallace was whistled for a foul in the penalty area, leading to a penalty kick and a goal by junior Nate Bascom. At 1-1 and 30 minutes to play, it was now a new match for both sides. The Polar Bears continued to force play into the Yellow Jacket end, collecting seven more shots in the half.

Then in the 72nd minute of play, Bascom grabbed the winning goal off nice assists from juniors Cameron Johnson and Chris Matejka. The Polar Bears wrapped up the half with stingy defense, continuing play that had allowed only two shots on goal for the match against a side that leads the OAC in goals scored. The Polar Bears outshot the Yellow Jackets 16-9 on the match and won the cornerkick battle 8-1.

“Baldwin-Wallace is an amazing team, and we’re happy to pull out the win,” head coach Brent Ridenour said. “They have the top scoring offense in the OAC and our defense did a great job to limit them to one goal.” Improving to 4-0-1 in OAC play, the Polar Bears move to 12-2-2 overall and look forward to a top three position from the NCAA in the forthcoming Great Lakes regional rankings.

With the loss, Baldwin-Wallace sees an end to the school record 13 match winning streak, and falls to 4-1 in conference and 13-2 overall. The Yellow Jackets also are looking for a top position in the NCAA rankings this week and look to improve their regional record as they face Mount Union on Oct. 19.

The 2011 season marks the first time that the Ohio Athletic Conference has had two programs in the D3soccer.com Top 25. In the lastest poll, Baldwin-Wallace stands at No. 18, while Ohio Northern holds down No. 16. The Polar Bears women's team is also in the Top 25 rankings at No. 21.