Six Owls earn spots on all-conference team

CLEVELAND — The North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) announced Wednesday the list of those student-athletes who made the 2024 All-NCAC men’s soccer team. Among the 34 selections were six from Kenyon College, including first-year Justin Buchwalter, who was voted the NCAC Newcomer of the Year.

Along with that special award, Buchwalter claimed a spot among the All-NCAC first-team selections, as did senior teammates Eamon Dujakovich and Matt Nguyen. Another senior, Gerardo Martinez, landed on the second team, while senior Jack Pedreschi and first-year Gabriel Romanenko claimed positions on the third team.

Buchwalter, a midfielder, ranked fifth on the team with eight points on three goals and two assists. Two of his three goals came in spectacular clutch performances. In a 2-1 win at nationally-ranked John Hopkins University, Buchwalter booted in the game winner with just eight seconds left on the game clock. Later in the season, in a 2-1 win at Oberlin College, he netted the game winner with one tenth of a second remaining.

Buchwalter’s Newcomer of the Year award makes him the first Kenyon selection to earn the honor since Martinez did in the 2021 season.

Dujakovich, last year’s NCAC Midfielder of the Year, is now a two-time All-NCAC first-team honoree. In 15 games played this season, he racked up five goals and an assist. His 11 points tie him for the second most on the team this season and give him 50 career points on 21 goals and eight assists.

Nguyen, a defender, is a first-time first-team all-conference pick. At the end of his sophomore and junior seasons, he was voted to the All-NCAC second team. He’s one of just three Kenyon players who started all 18 games this season and he’s got a goal and two assists to show for it. More importantly, as a defender, he’s helped Kenyon hold opponents to an average of just one goal per game.

Martinez has played in 17 games this season and, like Dujakovich, has 11 points. That output includes three goals and a team-high five assists, giving him a dozen goals and 18 assists for his career. His second-team award is his first all-conference honor since being named the 2021 NCAC Newcomer of the Year.  

In goal, Pedreschi has been steady for the Owls. In 17 games played, he made 42 saves and posted a 1.10 goals against average. He also has a .700 saves percentage to go along with playing a role in six shutouts.

In front of Pedreschi, Romanenko is another defensive difference maker for Kenyon. Like Nguyen, he started all 18 games and bolstered a defensive unit that allowed an average of just 8.3 shots to opponents throughout the year. He also contributed offensively, with one goal and one assist.

The group of six honorees has lifted Kenyon to a 12-3-3 record and the program’s 11th straight appearance in the NCAA Division III Championship. The Owls’ first-round NCAA game will be Friday, when they entertain the Golden Eagles of Spalding University at 11 a.m.