Marietta men's soccer upsets top-seeded Capital 2-1 in overtime of OAC Semifinals
Pioneers will take on third-seeded Ohio Northern in Ada this weekend

Nov. 5, 2008
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The fourth-seeded Marietta College men's soccer team scored a 2-1, overtime victory to upset top-seeded Capital University in its Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Semifinal on Wednesday (Nov. 5) afternoon at Bernlohr Stadium. With the win, the Pioneers advance to take on third-seeded Ohio Northern University in the OAC Tournament Finals this weekend. The date and time have yet to be determined.

Marietta heads into the Conference Finals and a battle for the OAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament with an 11-6-3 record this season. The Pioneers, led by 11th-year Head Coach Patrick Holguin, are making their third OAC Tournament appearance in school history, having qualified in 1997 and 2007. Capital, the OAC Regular Season Champion for the second straight season, ends its year 13-5-1.

The Crusaders were on the doorstep of a goal in the 31st minute after Joey Snyder got around Marietta's keeper and took a shot on the open goal. Marietta junior defender Delè Adedapo (Gahanna/Bexley), however, came out of nowhere to deny the shot with a diving save as he sent the ball clear with his right foot to keep the game in a scoreless tie. The teams entered intermission locked 0-0.

The Pioneers finally got on the board in the 66th minute. Marietta junior forward Kyle Muth (Twinsburg) took control of ball inside the 18-yard box and fired a shot off a defender. The deflected ball went right to freshman midfielder Dustin Zimmerman (Hebron/Granville Christian Academy), who pushed it past the Capital keeper for the goal, the first of his career.

Both teams continued to get their share of scoring chance throughout the second half but stellar defense kept the score at 1-0 in favor of Marietta.

With just 52 seconds standing between Marietta and a 1-0 victory, Capital broke through with an equalizer. Snyder snuck a shot past the Pioneer keeper and inside the near post for the goal in the 90th minute to send the game into overtime.

Capital controlled the possession for most of the overtime. A turnover, however, helped produce the final play of the game. Muth tracked down the ball 40-yards from the goal, and with senior forward Seita Kawamoto (Ebina, Kanagaua, Japan) racing down the near side, he began a two-one-one breakaway against the Capital keeper. Muth fired a shot from just inside the box around the keeper and into the back of the net for the game-winner in the 99th minute. The goal was his 12th of the season and ignited a celebration for all of the Pioneer players and fans in attendance.

Senior goalkeeper Steve Hagenau (Clearwater, Fla./Central Catholic) worked all 98:36 to earn the win. He made four saves. John Snyder had seven saves in complete game effort for Capital.

Marietta will looked to complete its OAC Tournament run with a victory over Ohio Northern, who advanced to this weekend's final with a 5-1 road win at second-seeded John Carroll University. Visit http://pioneers.marietta.edu for updates on when the OAC Tournament Finals will take place in Ada, Ohio.