CEDARVILLE, Ohio –
Eddie Merck's second half goal lifted No. 13 and unbeaten Cedarville to a 1–0 victory over Ohio Dominican in the regular season finale.
The Yellow Jackets completed the schedule 11-0-7 overall and 9-0-5 G-MAC while posting their 11th shutout.
The visiting Panthers came out with a purpose in what was their final game of the campaign, but suffered a major blow in the 39th minute with a player sent off on a straight red card.
Cedarville finally broke through when Merck received a long ball over the top from
Amari Everage and ripped a 15-yarder inside the left post in the 70th minute. It was his third goal of the year.
Eben Dewhurst was called upon to make two saves while recording his ninth clean sheet.
Quotable: Head Coach Brett Faro
"That was a weird game! I'm not sure that's how we scripted it or how they scripted it. Any time there is a red card it makes the game weird. They came out and put us on our heels a little bit. We had to adjust and make some different decisions, but the red card definitely changed the game.
"We showed good composure in the second half, playing a man up, and getting the job done. I think that speaks to this group and they have persevered the entire season. It's a bend, but don't break mentality."
Five Facts:
- Cedarville had the advantage in shots overall (19-5) and on goal (5-2).
- The Yellow Jackets defeated ODU for the fifth straight time - all by one-goal margins.
- CU leads the all-time series, 29-13-4.
- Despite going undefeated, Cedarville finished one point behind regular season champion Tiffin in the G-MAC standings.
- The Jackets went 7-0-2 on home turf this fall.
Cedarville will be the No. 2 seed in the upcoming G-MAC Tournament and earn a first round bye before playing a semifinal game in Tiffin, Ohio on Nov. 13.
