DELAWARE, Ohio -- Junior midfielder Colton Bloecher and senior forward Taylor Rieger scored goals that lifted second-ranked Ohio Wesleyan to a North Coast Athletic Conference decision over Hiram on Saturday at the Jay Martin Soccer Complex.
The win clinched the NCAC championship for Ohio Wesleyan. The NCAC title is Ohio Wesleyan's sixth consecutive, ninth in the past 10 years and 22nd overall in the 30 seasons of NCAC competition. Ohio Wesleyan finishes the regular season with a record of 18-0-2, marking the first time since 2009 and the sixth time overall that the Bishops have completed the regular season unbeaten.
Ohio Wesleyan will be the No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAC tournament and will host fourth-seeded DePauw.
No. 1 Amherst 4, Hamilton 1
AMHERST, Mass. -- Christopher Martin recorded two second half goals to lead No. 1 Amherst to a 4-1 win against Hamilton in NESCAC quarterfinal action on Saturday at Hitchcock Field.
The Jeffs (13-0-2, 8-0-2 NESCAC) extended their unbeaten streak to 35 consecutive games and avenged a 1-1 double-overtime draw against the Continentals (5-7-3, 3-4-3 NESCAC) earlier this season.
The Jeffs held a decisive 23-4 advantage in shots with 14 of them coming in the second half. Both teams registered three corner kicks each. Thomas Bull made one save in net for the Jeffs, while Harris Pollack stopped five shots for Hamilton.
No. 3 Messiah 4, Albright 0
READING, Pa. -- Messiah finished the regular-season schedule on Saturday with a 4-0 win against Albright. The win moved the Falcons to 18-1 overall and also completed an undefeated season (9-0) in the Commonwealth Conference.
The Falcons finished with 25 shots on the night, with Austin Aldinger collecting six saves. Brandon West, Aaron Hennigan, and Jonathan Weaver split time in the net for Messiah with West collecting the team's lone save. The shutout was Messiah's eighth of the season.
The loss drops Albright to 7-10-2 overall, including 3-5-1 in the Commonwealth.
The undefeated conference season is the Falcons' fifth consecutive, with their conference regular-season win streak, which dates back into the 2008 season, now sitting at 43 games.
No. 5 Stevens Institute 2, Ithaca 1
HOBOKEN, N.J. -- Stevens Institute posted a 2-1 victory on Senior Day against Empire Eight Conference rival Ithaca on Saturday. Stevens closes out the regular season with a 14-1-1 overall record and will host the Empire 8 Championship Tournament beginning next Wednesday.
The Ducks prevailed in the match due to two scores from sophomore Joe Cellitti. Cellitti tallied his first marker 9:53 into the contest on a great individual effort. He battled with an Ithaca defender within the 18-yard box before setting up a low blast from right to left past Bombers' goalkeeper Jordan Gentile. Another Ithaca defender was close to the play and tried to boot the ball off the end line but was too late and sent already destined goal into the back of the net.
Cellitti then split the Ithaca defense on a great through ball from senior Christian Grapel in the 27th minute for his second goal of the half to give Stevens a 2-0 edge.
Ithaca found the back of the net midway through the second half off a free kick from Max Bjork to Casey Williamson in the 67th minute.
No. 6 Wisconsin-Oshkosh Wisconsin-Whitewater
OSHKOSH, Wis. -- Kirby Allen scored two goals and assisted on two others as Wisconsin-Oshkosh concluded its fourth unbeaten regular season with a 4-0 victory against Wisconsin-Whitewater on Saturday at J. J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium.
UW-Oshkosh, ranked sixth, won its ninth consecutive match to finish the regular season with a 14-0-4 record. The Titans also went unbeaten during the 1994 (16-0-1), 2003 (18-0) and 2010 (16-0-3) regular seasons.
Saturday's victory was significant in another way as it gave UW-Oshkosh the top seed for next week's inaugural WIAC Championship. The Titans, who went 3-0-1 in their four WIAC contests, will host fourth-seeded Wisconsin-Platteville (7-8-3/1-3 WIAC) in a semifinal round match on Wednesday.
