*Story by Alex Trevino
ADA, Ohio - Three Fightin' Quakers - Yusef Muqtadir, Jeffry Vasquez and Elorm Dogbey - all scored to lift the Wilmington College men's soccer team to a 3-1 Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) victory at Ohio Northern University (ONU) on Wednesday evening.
The potent offense of the Quakers was immediately on display Wednesday night. Less than three minutes into the game, a poor clearance by Ohio Northern led to a moment of brilliance by Jeffry Vasquez. Off of the volley and 20 yards out, the junior connected and sent a shot into the top left corner of the net giving Wilmington a 1-0 lead early in the first half. Ohio Northern responded well by pressuring Wilmington the rest of the half outshooting the Quakers 7-4. Despite this lead in shots, the Polar Bears were unable to break through, and Wilmington would carry its 1-0 lead into the half.
Once again the Quaker offense was aggressive to start the half. Five minutes into the second half, Wilmington stole the ball at midfield and wasted no time breaking into Ohio Northern territory. Dogbey and Vasquez would combine to ultimately assist Yusef Muqtadir with his eighth goal of the season giving the Quakers a 2-0 lead. A fast paced game quickly saw Ohio Northern with a dangerous corner that Levi King would use to assist Joe Bemont bringing Northern to within one. Wilmington quickly shut down thoughts of a thrilling comeback as five minutes later, Yusef Muqtadir would return the favor and assist Dogbey putting the game out of reach. The Quakers would not be outshot in the second half and would carry their 3-1 lead to full time.
All three of Wilmington's leading scorers would contribute in this game. Yusef Muqtadir now has eight goals on the season, Elorm Dogbey has seven and Jeffry Vasquez rounds out the trio with six. Felix Maurer made five saves to earn the win while John Lombardo took the loss, tallying three saves on five shots.
Up next, Wilmington (10-0-2, 3-0-1 OAC) will return home Saturday to play the Marietta College Pioneers at 7 p.m.
