WILMINGTON, Ohio – For the second time in three seasons, the Wilmington College men's soccer team will appear in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Tournament semifinals as the Fightin' Quakers head to Ohio Northern University for a 4 p.m. contest on Thursday.
The Teams: Wilmington and Ohio Northern (ONU). The Quakers, the No. 4 seed, enter the matchup with an 11-5-3 record having defeated The University of Mount Union 4-0 in a quarterfinal at Williams Stadium on Tuesday. The Polar Bears are 13-2-3 overall and the No. 1 seed in the OAC Tournament having won the regular season title with an 8-0-1 record.
The Coaches: Wilmington is led by first-year Head Coach Cory Bucur, who came to WC from Defiance College. Bucur led the Yellow Jackets to their best season in over a decade in the fall of 2021 as DC went 11-11-1, upset Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) Tournament before coming a penalty shootout victory away from appearing in the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament. Chris Matejka, a 2013 ONU alumnus, is in his 10th season with the program including his fourth as head coach.
The Players: Offensively, Wilmington is led by four seniors as Elorm Dogbey, Grant Murray, Casey Miller and Yusef Muqtadir have all tallied at least 13 points on the season. Dogbey leads the squad in goals with eight while Murray has a team-high seven assists. Goalkeeper Thomas Grimes, along with defenders Nick In'tZand, Michael Owusu and Andre Hagborg, allow 1.18 goals per game.
Series History: Wilmington 17-12-2 against Ohio Northern since becoming an NCAA Division III member in the early 1990s. The Polar Bears won the regular season meeting 2-1 in Ada on Oct. 19. More information on the series history can be viewed by visiting the link above.
OAC Tournament History: Wilmington is making its 11th appearance in the OAC Tournament since joining the league prior to the 2000 season. The Quakers, who have an even 8-8-1 all-time record in the postseason tournament, are making their their consecutive appearance in the postseason tournament. Last year, WC fell to Capital University 4-3 at home in the quarterfinals. The Quakers are 0-1 all-time against ONU in the OAC Tournament as the Polar Bears won 2-1 in the title game in 2006. More information on Wilmington's history in the OAC Tournament can be viewed by visiting the link above.
Top 25: Ohio Northern checks in at No. 11 in the most recent United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll.
Tickets: The OAC is a proud partner of Hometown Ticketing. Fans are encouraged to purchase digital tickets ahead of time at the link above. Though students and children under seven will gain free admission with a valid identification, season passes will not be accepted per the OAC postseason ticketing policy.
Coverage: Live statistics and live video of the contest will be available – visit the links above.
Social Media: Follow Wilmington athletics on social media! The Fightin' Quakers have a presence on Facebook (Wilmington College Athletics) as well as Twitter and Instagram (@DubCQuakers).
Up Next: The winner of the game will face either No. 2 John Carroll University or No. 3 Otterbein University on Saturday in the OAC Tournament title game.
