No. 17 Owls secure first shutout to stay undefeated

DANVILLE, Kentucky — The Kenyon College men’s soccer team maintained its winning ways with a 1-0 win over Centre College (0-3-1), improving the No. 17 Owls’ record to 4-0 with the team’s first shutout.

Centre recorded the match’s first two shots early, with one coming in the second minute and another in the 14th, but Kenyon would go on to control the remainder of the contest. The Owls had everything going their way and outshot the Colonels 24-1 for the rest of the match, including a 9-0 edge in shots on goal.

Despite Kenyon’s control of the flow, the match remained scoreless through the first half as goalkeeper Jacob Camacho and the Centre defense kept the Owls, a team averaging 5.33 goals per game coming into the match, off the board. Camacho finished with eight saves but could not keep the No. 17 Owls scoreless forever.

After being shut out on nine first-half shots, the Kenyon offense pushed harder and tallied 15 attempts over the second 45-minute period. The increased offensive output paid dividends in the 58th minute as Sebastian Gaese put the visitors ahead 1-0 off of an assist from Sam Carson. 

Gaese’s fourth goal of the season would prove to be the game’s only goal. Centre’s only shot of the second half came in the 84th minute, but the attempt was off-target. The Owls added three more shots on goal and four total shots over the final five minutes, but the score remained 1-0 at full time as Kenyon secured the win.

Seven Owls registered two or more shots in the match, with Scott Upton and Alem Duratovic leading the way with five shots apiece. Three of Upton’s attempts were on target, but it was Gaese’s goal on two shots that proved to be the game-winner.

The Kenyon defense was stout throughout as goalkeeper Jack Pedreschi never got a chance to record a save. Defenders Aiden Burns and Matt Nguyen joined Pedreschi as the only Owls to play 90 minutes, helping the squad secure its first shutout.

Now halfway through a six-game road trip, the No. 17 Owls head to Wilmington, Ohio for a mid-week matchup against Wilmington College (3-1-1) on Wednesday, Sept. 14, at 7:30 p.m.