Men's Soccer claims fourth straight win with 5-1 triumph over Anderson (Ind.); Coach Brent Ridenour earns 300th career coaching victory
By Blake Moore
ANDERSON, Ind. - The Ohio Northern men's soccer team defeated Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference member Anderson (Ind.) 5-1 at AU Soccer Stadium in Anderson, Indiana on Friday afternoon, giving head coach Brent Ridenour his 300th career coaching victory and pushing the team's current winning streak to four games.
Coach Ridenour now owns a 300-117-35 career coaching record (a win percentage of .702) in his 21 seasons at Ohio Northern, ranking him as the winningest coach in school history. He also becomes the first soccer coach (men's or women's) at ONU to reach the 300 coaching victories milestone.
The Polar Bears improve to 5-2-1 on the 2018 campaign with the victory while Anderson dips to 3-5-1 overall.
Northern dominated the first half of action, registering the first three goals of the contest within 26 minutes of the opening whistle.
Ohio Northern was off to a quick start when freshman Jacob Westerkamp (Beavercreek) notched the first goal of his career just seven minutes into the match.
Sophomore defender Beelal Hasan (Westerville/Thomas) took over from there as he beat Ravens' netminder Caleb Oliver in the 10th and 26th minutes. With his two braces Friday, Hasan extends his team-high goal total to seven.
Reigning OAC Offensive Player of the Week Levi King (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) would provide the helper on the first goal, which pushes his team-leading assist total to six.
Anderson battled back and broke through just before the halftime intermission, trimming the Polar Bear lead to 3-1. Derek Thorpe tallied the score when he beat sophomore goalkeeper John Lombardo (Solon) in the 40th minute for the home side's lone goal of the match.
Following the break, Ohio Northern would enjoy similar offensive success in the second half. Jimmy Walkinshaw (Plymouth, Mich./Canton) produced his first goal of the season during the 52nd minute when senior Anthony DeNoi (Powell/Olentangy Liberty) found the junior for the score.
King also continued his recent hot streak, scoring a goal for the third straight game, when he joined the offensive barrage and capped the day's scoring in the 69th minute. Junior Noah Bachwitz (Buffalo, N.Y./Williamsville North) would be credited with the assist, his second of the year.
In net, Lombardo picked up his third successive win in as many starts this season after registering three saves on six total Anderson shot attempts.
The Polar Bears would own a comfortable 15-6 shots advantage Friday afternoon, including a 9-4 margin in shots on goal. ONU also compiled seven corner kicks on the day while the Ravens managed just two.
Ohio Northern will return to action tomorrow when they finish up back-up-back matches against HCAC competition at Rose-Hulman (Ind.). Match time is set for 5 p.m. at Rose-Hulman's Intramural Fields in Terre Haute, Indiana.