Box Score COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Dominican men's soccer team extended its winning streak to two games by earning a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Walsh University on Thursday night. The victory clinches a spot for the Black and Gold in the 2021 Great Midwest Athletic Conference men's soccer tournament.
The Panthers wasted no time in collecting their first tally as sophomore Khalif Hassan (Columbus, Ohio) scored his third goal of the season and ninth of his career in just the fourth minute of the contest. Freshman midfielder Jacob Gruber (Westerville, Ohio) played a great ball through the Cavalier backline that found the feet of Hassan and he put it in the net for a 1-0 lead.
Both teams traded chances over the next 10 minutes, with Walsh midfielder Harry Gardner forcing goalkeeper Harry Castella (London, England, United Kingdom) to make a diving save in the 15th minute. Gardner would strike once more in the 20th minute as he beat the Panther backstop to tie the game at 1-1.
A foul from Walsh set up a set-piece opportunity for the Panthers in the 27th minute. Midfielder Nuno Lopez (Foz, Spain) stepped up to take the free-kick. The junior hammered his shot toward the upper corner of the net and beat the keeper to score his first career goal as a Panther and recapture the lead.
Cavalier midfielder Patrick O'Halloran retaliated shortly before halftime to tie the game at 2-2.
It took the Black and Gold just four minutes into the second half to find the decisive goal. A strong hustle play from forward Shingai Nindi (Shangai, China) led to a terrific scoring opportunity for River Allbaugh (Pickerington, Ohio) who put the ball into the Cavalier net for the third time and secured the second game-winning goal of his career.
The Black and Gold withstood a flurry from Walsh in the dying minutes but held on to claim the 3-2 victory.
Welcome to the Show
This season's appearance in the Great Midwest Men's Soccer postseason tournament will mark their third since joining the G-MAC in 2017. The Panthers first faced Davis & Elkins on the road in 2017 and battled Lake Erie College in Painesville, Ohio, in 2018.
ODU looks to host its first postseason G-MAC event and first home event since the GLIAC Tournament Semifinal in November 2013.
Up Next
The Black and Gold look to solidify their positioning in the standings when they battle Malone on Saturday night. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 PM.
Contact: Ralph Schudel
schudelr@ohiodominican.edu
