WMVO Good Times Great Oldies
LANCASTER, Penn. – The Kenyon College men’s soccer team was in another close game with a ranked opponent on Sunday afternoon, capping off the squad’s road trip against the No. 17-ranked Franklin & Marshall Diplomats.
After trailing 1-0 for nearly 60 minutes, the Owls netted the game-tying goal in the 85th minute, as Eamon Dujakovich fielded an excellent deep pass from Andrew Adams and tapped it past the goalkeeper to secure the 1-1 draw.
The match began with plenty of offensive opportunities on both sides, with each team registering five shots in the first 30 minutes of play. Perhaps the best of those chances came in the 28th minute for the Owls, as both Matt Nguyen and Gabriel Romanenko hit the crossbar within a minute of each other.
However, the Diplomats were able to capitalize just two minutes later, as a loose ball was snuck into the back of the net, and the home team took the lead 1-0 and would hold it through halftime.
Kenyon ramped up the pressure in the second half, outshooting Franklin & Marshall 8-4 in the final 45 minutes with six of those shots finding the cage, but the Diplomats fended off the Owls’ attack until the visitors’ final possession.
With five minutes left to play, Kenyon had the ball in the offensive end. A bouncing ball made its way to Adams near the midfield, who lofted a beautiful ball downfield across nearly all of the Franklin & Marshall back line and right to a charging Dujakovich, who made a quick move to knock it into the back of the net to finalize the draw.
The goal marks Dujakovich’s first of the season, building on his 11 from 2023, good enough for second on the team a year ago. The senior midfielder also led the Owls on shots (5) and shots on goal (4) for the game. Adams’ dish was the first of his career and his third point on this road trip, moving him up to a tie for second on the team in points (3).
On the defensive side of the field, Jack Pedreschi made one save on two shots faced to keep Kenyon in the tightly contested battle.
The draw moves Kenyon’s record to 3-0-1 on the season. The Owls will travel back to Ohio for a slate of two home games, the first kicking off on Saturday, September 14 at 1:00 pm, where the Franciscan University Barons will make their way to Gambier.
