ADA - The Wilmington College men's soccer team fell to Ohio Northern, 1-0, Tuesday on a goal in the 77th minute in Ohio Athletic Conference action.
"The players really played hard today," said head coach Bud Lewis. "We showed that we could play with one of the better teams in the league. It came down to our inability to get shots on goal. We have a nice tempo to the game. Defensively, I thought we showed well in the back four."
With the loss, the Fightin' Quakers are officially eliminated from OAC tournament contention.
"We really needed a positive result to keep our postseason chances alive," said Lewis. "Bottom line is if you can't beat this team or the teams ahead of you, you don't deserve to make the tournament."
A loose ball in the box found its way to the back of the net with 14 minutes remaining in the contest for the game's lone score.
Wilmington nearly responded two minutes later, but a shot by sophomore Nick Toney (Morrow, OH/Little Miami) slid past the post. Tony unleashed six of Wilmington's 15 shots on the game. WC was able to outshoot the Polar Bears, 15-13, but ONU held the advantage in corner kicks, 6-2.
Junior Daniel Wicks (Reading, OH/Reading) had half of Wilmington's scoring chances with two shots on goal. The best came as Wicks beat the keeper with five minutes remaining, but has his shot cleared off the back line by an ONU defender
Senior Anton Niklasson (Ockero, Sweden/Frolunda Gymnasiet) recorded six saves in the loss
Wilmington (6-12-1, 3-5 OAC) wraps up its season 3:30 p.m. Saturday at John Carroll.