2005 Match Recaps
Nov. 11, Notre Dame (Ohio) (NAIA Region IX Semifinals)
The 2005 Yellow Jacket soccer season ended just the way it began - with a loss to Notre Dame College. The Falcons eliminated Cedarville from the NAIA Region IX Final Four with a 2-1 decision in the semifinals thus ending CU's campaign. NDC, 15-2-2, blanked the Jackets 2-0 in the season opener back on August 30. They took a two-goal advantage this time with scores in the 8th and 60th minutes. Justin Benz netted his team-high 13th goal in the 87th minute on an assist from Steve Cobucci before Cedarville, 15-4-1, ran out of time. NDC had a 9-6 margin in shots overall and a 6-5 edge in shots on goal. Luke Marietta was credited with four saves. [STATS]
Nov. 5, OHIO DOMINICAN (AMC Tournament Qualifier)
Ken Davis' "golden goal" three minutes into sudden death overtime gave the Yellow Jackets a 2-1 victory over Ohio Dominican and a berth in the NAIA Region IX Final Four. [VIDEO REPLAY] It was the fifth consecutive victory for Cedarville, 15-3-1 overall, since suffering a 2-1 setback on the Panthers' home field on Oct. 18. This match was intense from the outset with both teams whistled for 44 combined fouls and both missing crucial penalty kicks. Luke Marietta kept the game scoreless by making one of his four saves on an Ohio Dominican PK midway through the first half. [VIDEO REPLAY] However, the Panthers finally found the net by heading home a corner kick in the 44th minute for a 1-0 lead at the intermission. Cedarville had a chance to tie early in the second period with it's own PK, but Jesse Fox put the shot off the right post. The Jackets finally tied it in the 65th minute when Phil Shimer gathered a loose ball during a scramble in the box and, from his back, booted it left-footed high into the net for his second goal of the season. [VIDEO REPLAY] The score stayed knotted at 1-1 until three minutes into the extra session. On a restart, Fox delivered a ball from 40-yards out on the left to Josh Gelser in the right side of the penalty area who headed the ball perfectly in front of the net to Davis, who in turn headed in the game winner. It was his sixth goal of the season and propelled the Jackets, who are unbeaten in their last eight overtime games (5-0-3), to the regional for the first time in three years where they will play Notre Dame (Ohio) in the semifinals. ODU finishes the season 10-7-1. [STATS]
Oct. 29, WALSH
The Yellow Jackets scored three times in the final 10 minutes to wrap up the regular season with a 3-0 AMC South Division victory over Walsh. With the outcome, Cedarville will host Ohio Dominican on Nov. 5 in the AMC Qualifying Tournament. The two teams kept one another scoreless through the first 80 minutes with neither getting a quality scoring chance. Jesse Fox broke the deadlock in the 82nd minute when his shot near the top of the box was deflected just inside the far post for his sixth goal of the season. Less than a minute later, Andrew Elliott picked up a loose ball and planted his first goal of the campaign into the back of the net for a 2-0 bulge. Elliott completed the scoring with another tally with 1:20 remaining. Luke Marietta made four saves and tied the single-season school record with his eighth shutout. The Jackets now get a second shot at Ohio Dominican in the post-season. The Panthers pinned a 2-1 loss on CU in Columbus on Oct. 18. The winner this time advances to the NAIA Region IX Tournament. [STATS]
Oct. 25, at Tiffin
Justin Benz scored in the opening seconds and visiting Cedarville went on to blank Tiffin, 4-0, in a key American Mideast Conference South Division match. It was the most lopsided victory for CU in the 22-year season series with the Dragons and only the sixth win in 26 meetings between the two schools (6-19-1). The Yellow Jackets, 13-3-1 overall and 5-2 AMC, stunned the Dragons early when Benz took a pass from Jesse Fox and netted his team-high 12th goal of the season just 19 seconds into the match. They increased the lead in the 28th minute on a goal by Ryan Hyde with Ken Davis assisting. Cedarville took a 3-0 lead into the intermission after Steve Cobucci headed in a free kick from Andrew Belleman in the 40th minute. The two teams went scoreless through most of the second half until the 85th minute when Davis scored on an assist from Iain Bryant. Luke Marietta was credited with five saves and posted his seventh shutout of the season. Cedarville had a 13-12 edge in shots and a 10-5 advantage in shots on goal. Tiffin's record falls to 9-7-1 and 4-3 AMC. [STATS]
Oct. 22, at Mobile
Jesse Fox assisted on one goal and later scored the game winner as Cedarville escaped perennial NAIA power Mobile with a 2-1 non-conference victory. The Yellow Jackets, 12-3-1 overall, were able to win despite being outshot 22-5 and it gave them a sweep of their two-game weekend trip to Alabama. The host Rams, 5-7-2, got on the board first with a goal off of a corner kick in the 7th minute. Fox delivered a free kick to Ken Davis, who scored his fourth goal of the season in the 15th minute to forge a 1-1 tie. The match remained deadlocked until Fox converted a penalty kick in the 57th minute. Senior goalkeeper Luke Marietta made 10 saves to help preserve the victory. [STATS]
Oct. 21, Belhaven (at Mobile)
Justin Benz scored two goals and the Yellow Jackets erupted for a 4-1 non-conference victory over Belhaven. The match was played on a neutral site at the University of Mobile. The Blazers, 6-9-1 overall, struck first with a goal in the 13th minute. Cedarville responded when freshman defender Jason Cunningham headed in a corner kick in the 27th minute from Jesse Fox. Benz netted his first goal three minutes later with Tyler Schumacher assisting and the Jackets had a 2-1 lead at the intermission. Benz scored his team-high 11th goal of the season from Ken Davis in the 60th minute for some breathing room. Ryan Hyde completed the scoring in the 84th minute on an assist by Ryan Stutzman. Luke Marietta was credited with one save in goal for CU, 11-3-1. [STATS]
Oct. 18, at Ohio Dominican
American Mideast Conference South Division foe Ohio Dominican handed the Yellow Jackets their second straight setback with a 2-1 decision. The outcome slowed down Cedarville's pursuit of a potential first-round home game in the upcoming AMC playoffs. The Panthers, 8-6-1 overall and 3-3 AMC, took advantage of their home field artificial turf and played the bounces for a 2-0 lead with goals in the 34th and 50th minutes. Justin Benz put the Jackets on the board in the 72nd minute with his team-high ninth goal of the season from Ryan Lustig. Cedarville, 10-3-1 and 4-2 AMC, was unable to produce a quality chance to get the equalizer. The Jackets outshot ODU 10-9 overall, but the Panthers mustered five shots on goal to four for the visitors. Ohio Dominican was whistled for 23 fouls compared to 11 for Cedarville. [STATS]
Oct. 11, RIO GRANDE
NAIA No. 2 Rio Grande scored twice in the second half for a 2-0 victory at Cedarville in an American Mideast Conference South Division match. The Redmen, 12-0 overall and 4-0 AMC, extended their regular season unbeaten streak to 102 straight matches dating back to the 2000 season. The Yellow Jackets, 10-2-1 and 4-1 AMC, lost for the first time in 12 games this season. Shots of any kind were at a premium as the two teams combined for nine total on the night and only four on goal. The Jackets, who entered the match with an AMC-low 0.65 goals allowed per game, held Rio to zero shots in the first half. The Redmen broke through in the second half with two carbon copy goals on crosses from the left side that were headed in. The first came in the 50th minute and the second in the 74th minute. The visitors finished with a slim edge in shots (6-3) and shots on goal (3-1). The two teams were whistled for 20 fouls and one yellow card each. [STATS]
Oct. 8, CONCORDIA (Mich.)
The Yellow Jackets extended their school-record unbeaten streak to 11 in a row with a 4-0 non-conference Homecoming victory over Concordia (Mich.). It was also the sixth straight victory for the Yellow Jackets, 10-1-1 overall. CU struggled to put the ball in the net in the first half against the winless Cardinals, 0-11. Jesse Fox headed in a cross from Ken Davis in the 16th minute and the score remained 1-0 until intermission. The Jackets needed just six minutes into the second half to increase the lead when Davis set up Jon Taylor. Justin Benz followed five minutes later with his team-high eighth goal of the season from Tyler Schumacher. Andrew Belleman completed the scoring in the 70th minute by converting a penalty kick. Cedarville dominated the match with a 19-1 bulge in shots and a 9-1 edge in shots on goal. Concordia's lone shot came in the final 10 minutes which was a strong effort inside the box after the Cardinals had split the Jacket defense. Luke Marietta was called upon to make the save and eventually ended up with his sixth shutout of the campaign. [STATS]
Oct. 4, MOUNT VERNON NAZARENE
Cedarville scored three times in the first 20 minutes and beat AMC South Division foe Mount Vernon Nazarene, 4-2, to break a 30-year old school record. Since losing the season opener, the Yellow Jackets, 9-1-1 overall and 4-0 AMC, are unbeaten in their last ten matches which betters the previous school unbeaten streak of nine in a row set when the 1975 squad had an 8-0-1 run. Jon Taylor knocked in a Ken Davis cross off the right post and into the net in the 4th minute to get the scoring started. Phil Shimer got his first goal of the season from Jesse Fox just five minutes later. A hard shot from Davis deflected in off of the MVNU keeper with Taylor assisting in the 20th minute and the Jackets had a 3-0 halftime lead. Justin Benz scored his team-high seventh goal of the season in the 55th minute from Fox for a 4-0 bulge before the Cougars scored twice in the final 30 minutes. Cedarville tallied 14 shots compared to nine for MVNU, 8-2-2 and 2-1 AMC. The Jackets had an 8-4 edge in shots on goal. Luke Marietta was credited with two saves in goal. [STATS]
Oct. 1, at Malone
Andrew Belleman converted a penalty kick in the 98th minute to give the Yellow Jackets a 1-0 AMC South Division victory in overtime at Malone. Cedarville, 8-1-1 overall and 3-0 AMC, is unbeaten in their last nine matches. CU was awarded the PK when sophomore forward Ken Davis was taken down in the box. Belleman, who is 3-for-3 in his career in penalty kicks, buried the shot to give the Jackets the victory. Cedarville outshot the Pioneers 25-9 overall and 12-5 in shots on goal. Luke Marietta was credited with five saves while posting his fifth shutout of the season. Malone falls to 3-8-1 and 0-2 AMC. [STATS]
Sept. 27, URBANA
Justin Benz put together his first career "hat trick" to lead Cedarville to a 3-0 victory over Urbana in American Mideast Conference South Division action. It was the fifth shutout of the campaign for the Yellow Jackets, 7-1-1 overall and 2-0 AMC, who have not lost since the first game of the season. Benz netted his first goal in the 11th minute after Elliot Moore sent a long pass down the left side of the field. The 6-foot-2 senior forward ended up one-on-one against the keeper who got a hand on the shot which trickled into the right corner. Benz headed home a corner kick from Ken Davis in the 22nd minute for a 2-0 halftime lead. He got his third goal in the 56th minute on assists from Davis and Ryan Stutzman. Cedarville outshot the Blue Knights 19-4. The Jackets did not allow a shot on goal while putting nine attempts on net. Luke Marietta was credited with his fourth shutout of the season. Urbana falls to 2-8 and 0-2 AMC. [STATS]
Sept. 24, at Shawnee State
It was a struggle for Cedarville in their American Mideast Conference South Division opener at Shawnee State, but the Yellow Jackets pulled out a 3-1 victory to keep their unbeaten streak alive. CU, 6-1-1 overall, has not lost in seven matches since dropping the season opener. Ken Davis tucked in his second goal of the season with an assist from Jesse Fox in the 18th minute. It was a 2-0 halftime lead for the Jackets after freshman David Malpass scored his third career goal in the 33rd minute from Josh Gelser. The Bears made it interesting by creeping within a goal in the 53rd minute. Fox secured the victory by converting a penalty kick with 8:22 remaining for his third goal of the year. Rookie goalkeeper Jeremy Auyer earned his first start and made two saves prior to being lifted with an injury with 12 minutes left in the first half. Luke Marietta went the rest of the way and was credited with one save. Shawnee State, also playing its conference opener, drops to 2-8 overall. [STATS]
Sept. 23, SAINT FRANCIS (Ill.)
Steve Cobucci and Justin Benz scored goals to give the Yellow Jackets a 2-0 non-conference victory over Saint Francis (Ill.). Luke Marietta posted his third shutout of the campaign after making four saves. Cobucci netted his first collegiate goal in the 43rd minute with an assist from Scott DeLange. Cedarville held on to the 1-0 lead until Jesse Fox set up Benz for his third goal of the season in the 80th minute. The Jackets, 5-1-1 overall, had a slim 6-4 margin in shots on goal, but they outshot the Saints 22-8 overall. Saint Francis falls to 4-4. [STATS]
Sept. 20, WITTENBERG
Cedarville and Wittenberg played into overtime for the fourth consecutive meeting and settled for a 2-2 deadlock in non-conference action. Ironically, it was the first tie in 34 meetings between the local rivals in a series that dates back to 1967. CU had won all three overtime matches in the last three years. The Yellow Jackets struck first when rookie forward David Malpass found the net in the 43rd minute on a Ryan Hyde assist. Wittenberg scored twice in a span of four minutes early in the second half, the second of which came on a penalty kick. It was the Tigers' first two shots on goal in the contest. Malpass helped create the equalizer in the 73rd minute when his hard shot was saved by the Witt keeper, but the rebound came out to Josh Gelser who tucked it in. Cedarville outshot Wittenberg 18-7 for the match and 11-3 in shots on goal. Neither squad put a shot on net in 20 minutes of overtime. [STATS]
Sept. 17, at Bethel (Ind.)
David Malpass' first collegiate goal gave Cedarville a come-from-behind 2-1 non-conference victory at Bethel. The freshman forward headed in a pass from Jesse Fox off of a set piece in the 84th minute to give CU, 4-1, it's fourth win in a row. After the Yellow Jackets surrendered the game's first goal in the 35th minute, Fox scored his second goal of the season just three minutes later on assists from Malpass and Tyler Schumacher, who was playing in his first contest of the season. Senior goalkeeper Luke Marietta was called upon to make just one save. CU had the advantage in overall shots (12-8) and shots on goal (5-2). Bethel falls to 2-4-2 on the season. [STATS]
Sept. 9, MOUNT ST. JOSEPH
Rookie midfielder Ryan Lustig tallied two goals and an assist as the Yellow Jackets opened the home schedule with a bang by blasting Mount St. Joseph, 10-0, in non-conference action. The Lions, who have a first-year varsity program, watched as Cedarville hit double figures in a match for the first time since they torched Wilberforce, 11-0, four years ago. Jon Taylor drilled a Ken Davis cross into an open net in the 7th minute to get the scoring underway. Davis maneuvered through the MSJ defense for an unassisted goal three minutes later before Taylor scored again for a 3-0 lead in the 17th minute. CU went on to score seven times in the first half while outshooting the Lions 19-0 in the frame. The hosts enjoyed a 30-4 edge for the match and a 23-1 margin in shots on goal. Other goals came from Justin Benz, Nathan Wood, Ryan Hyde, Andrew Belleman, and Steve Cobucci. Davis and Josh Gelser had two assists each. Jesse Fox, Jon Miley, and Jordan Leach also dished out assists. Luke Marietta posted his second shutout of the season. [STATS]
Sept. 3, Roberts Wesleyan (Houghton Classic)
Justin Benz netted an unassisted goal in the 63rd minute and Cedarville held on to edge NAIA No. 17 Roberts Wesleyan, 1-0, to win the Houghton Classic. The outcome completed a weekend for the Yellow Jackets in which they posted back-to-back shutouts. CU, 2-1 overall, dominated the match statistically by outshooting the Raiders 15-3 overall and 6-1 in shots on goal. Luke Marietta logged the first 45 minutes in goal and made one save. Freshman Jeremy Auyer made his collegiate debut in the second period and did not face any shots. Roberts Wesleyan drops to 0-1-1 on the season. Phil Ellis was named Tournament MVP and was joined on the all-tournament squad by Benz, Jesse Fox, and Ken Davis. [STATS]
Sept. 2, at Houghton (Houghton Classic)
Josh Gelser and Jesse Fox scored second-half goals to give the Yellow Jackets their first victory of the campaign in a 2-0 decision at Houghton. Luke Marietta was called upon to make one save while recording his second career shutout. Gelser broke a scoreless tie in the 68th minute with Cedarville's first goal of the season on an assist from David Malpass. Trinity International transfer Jesse Fox found the net for his first score as a Yellow Jacket in the 79th minute. Cedarville, now 1-1, held a 21-5 edge in shots overall and a 9-1 margin in shots on goal against the Highlanders, who were playing their season opener. [STATS]
Aug. 30, at Notre Dame (Ohio)
Notre Dame College took the advantage early and shut down the CU offense for a 2-0 rain-soaked victory in the season opener for the Yellow Jackets. The Falcons, 2-0, headed in the game's first goal in the 8th minute. The score stood that way until they converted a penalty kick in the 68th minute to account for the final. NDC outshot Cedarville 12-7 with a 5-3 edge in shots on goal. Luke Marietta was credited with three saves in goal. The two teams played the match in the remnants of Hurricane Katrina. [STATS]
