CEDARVILLE, Ohio – Kentucky Wesleyan men's soccer (5-3-1, 4-2-1 G-MAC) cruised past Cedarville (5-6-1, 5-3-0 G-MAC) in a convincing 3-0 win Saturday afternoon. The Yellow Jackets finished with a 12-10 advantage in shots, but goals from
Carter Ford,
Jack Norman, and
Cameron Bell meant the Panthers took home the important three points.
The Panthers took advantage of their opportunities early, opening the scoring in the 27th minute. Ford broke away from the Cedarville defense and finished a 40-yard run into the left side of the goal to give Kentucky Wesleyan a 1-0 advantage.
Kentucky Wesleyan held the lead into halftime despite Cedarville creating several chances late in the opening 45 minutes. The Panthers recorded five shots in the first half, compared to four for the Yellow Jackets.
Cedarville came out with pressure to begin the second half, including a breakaway effort from Eddie Merck that hit the right post in the 49th minute. Graniero then denied Merck on the goal line to preserve the Kentucky Wesleyan lead.
The Panthers responded in the 51st minute when
Jack Norman doubled the advantage. Norman dribbled through the Cedarville defense before firing a left-footed shot from the 18-yard line into the far post for his first goal of the season.
Kentucky Wesleyan added another goal in the 70th minute when
Cameron Bell finished a cross into the box, sending the ball past the goalkeeper toward the far post.
Sacha Finlayson and
Jersey Lopez were credited with assists on the play.
Cedarville continued to push for a goal, but Graniero and the Kentucky Wesleyan defense kept the Yellow Jackets off the scoreboard. Graniero finished with three saves, including stops on Ladas in the 72nd minute and Bryan Cortina in the final minutes. Graniero extends his streak without conceding a goal to four games in a row and has not conceded in a total of 338 minutes.
Kentucky Wesleyan had an opportunity to add a fourth goal in the 75th minute when Lopez was awarded a penalty kick, but Cedarville goalkeeper Eben Dewhurst made the save.
Up Next
Men's Soccer returns to Panther Field to host #16 Tiffin (6-1-3, 5-0-1, G-MAC) on Thursday, October 8th. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CT.
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