Men's soccer plays to draw with Davenport

LIMA - The University of Northwestern Ohio men's soccer team kept its unbeaten streak live with a 1-1 tie against Davenport University on Saturday at Racers Field. The Racers are now 3-0-1 in their last four contests and hold a 6-6-1 overall record and 3-2-1 mark in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference.

"It's not what we want, but I think a month ago we would have lost that game 1-0, and that's the difference in the team," UNOH coach Gavin Oldham said. "Winning two or three games back-to-back has boosted the guy's confidence. The confidence is there now, we know we can score goals, we know we can create the opportunities. Four games unbeaten, it's a program record."

The schools played to a 0-0 tie through the first 2/3 of the match before Wesley Cain scored his team-leading seventh goal of the season, with Malakai Field getting the assist. However, the lead was short-lived as the Panthers (8-5-1, 4-2-1) scored less than 10 minutes later when J.C. Smith scored on a Dino Duratovic assist.

The Racers had plenty of chances throughout the match, out-shooting Davenport 20-11, including 3-1 in the second overtime. Dominic Riedel led the Racers with five shots and Cain had three shots.

"We were knocking on the door again," Oldham said.

UNOH goalkeeper Liam Davies gave up only his third goal in the last six games, coming up with two saves against the Panthers.

The draw pushed UNOH a place down the list in the WHAC standings; with 10 points, the Racers are tied with Concordia University for sixth in the standings. At the end of the season, the top eight schools make the WHAC tournament, with the top-4 hosting first-round playoff games.

"You don't want to be going up to Grand Rapids in the middle of November, trying to fight your way through whatever weather you're dealing with," Oldham said. "And you want to be home, in front of your fans. To get in that top-4, that's where you want to be."

The Racers continue their season at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Siena Heights University before returning to Lima to host UM-Dearborn at 3 p.m. Saturday.

"(The WHAC) has been what I thought it would be. There are a lot of good teams who work hard, battle hard and come with a good game plan," Oldham said. "We're hopefully getting to where I think we can get to."