WILMINGTON, Ohio – The Wilmington College men's soccer team looks for its third consecutive win on Wednesday when league-leading Capital University comes to Williams Stadium for a 7 p.m. contest.
The Teams: Wilmington and Capital. The Fightin' Quakers enter the contest with a 9-6-0 overall record and a 4-3-0 mark in Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play after defeating Baldwin Wallace University 4-1 on Saturday. The Crusaders are 12-3-0 overall and 6-1-0 in conference play after dispatching then-undefeated Ohio Northern University 6-0 on Saturday.
The Coaches: Alex Van der Sluijs is in his first year leading Wilmington's men's soccer team. The 2007 alumnus, who was a three-time First Team All-OAC selection and a member of the program's only team to win an OAC title in 2004, worked at Defiance College for seven seasons. Alan Yost, a 2006 graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University, is in his seventh season as Capital's head men's soccer coach. Capital has qualified for the OAC Tournament in all of Yost's six seasons.
The Players: Niklas Martensson has scored 15 of Wilmington's 34 goals as a team thus far this season. Benny Spirk sits second on the team in goals. Daniel Kappelin and Nati Wallis, who netted a hat trick in the win at BW on Saturday, have both scored three goals for Wilmington while Leon Tank and Ludwig Lantz have each scored twice. Seven Quakers have netted a single goal. In net, Felix Maurer has allowed 1.65 goals per game along with three shutouts. Chewy Gordon, the OAC's leading scorer, has netted 23 of Capital's 50 goals on the season.
OAC Tournament Implications: Wilmington currently sits in a three-way tie for third place with two games remaining in the regular season. A win would clinch a berth in the six-team OAC Tournament.
Senior Day: The game marks the final regular season home contest for five seniors – Benny Spirk, Niklas Martensson, Daniel Kappelin, Treshaun Pate and Reece Ibaugh – as well as manager Joseph Paul Sklenar-Heitzenrater. A brief ceremony will be held prior to the contest.
Series History: Wilmington is 13-8-2 against Capital since the 1986 season. The Crusaders have won the previous three meetings, however. More information on the series history can be viewed by visiting the link above.
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: Wilmington concludes its 2018 regular season by traveling to John Carroll University on Saturday. Kickoff from University Heights is scheduled for 7 p.m.
