#11 ONU will play #15 North Park (Ill.) at 3:00 p.m. on Sun, November 13
By Wes Mayberry
www.ONUSports.com
The Ohio Northern men's soccer team defeated Mount Aloysius (Pa.) on penalty kicks, 4-2, in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament on a snowy Saturday afternoon at Kerscher Stadium in Ada.
ONU and MAC played to a 1-1 draw through regulation and a pair of 10-minute overtime periods.
The No. 11 Polar Bears (13-3-4) advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and will play No. 15 North Park (Ill.) on Sunday at 3 p.m. at Kerscher Stadium.
The Mounties end their season with a record of 10-7-3.
Both teams scored in the second half of regulation.
Sophomore Brenden Gervers (Grand Blanc, Mich.) put the Polar Bears up 1-0 with a goal in the 58th minute on an assist from sophomore Ryan Parker (Lexington).
The Mounties knotted the score at 1-all in the 84th minute, when Louis Bez found Rhett Pletcher for a goal that ultimately sent the game to overtime.
Northern out-shot MAC 6-2 in the 20 minutes of overtime as neither team was able to break the deadlock.
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After an unsuccessful first round of PKs for both teams, the Polar Bears and Mounties found the back of the net in the second and third rounds.
Fifth-year senior Bryan Kern (Rocky River) was successful for ONU in the fourth round, putting the Polar Bears ahead 3-2 thanks to an unsuccessful attempt from the Mounties' Liam Craw.
Parker sealed the deal for Northern with a successful PK in the fifth round.
Senior Aaron Shelton (Ortonville, Mich./Brandon) and sophomore William Shaffer (Galena/St. Francis DeSales) tallied the other PK goals for ONU.
In addition to making some important stops during the PKs, senior goalkeeper Josh Ellis (Whitehouse/Anthony Wayne) tallied three saves in 110 minutes of action for Northern.
Luke Priestley made seven saves for MAC.
The Polar Bears out-shot the Mounties 22-7 in the game and finished with a 16-5 edge in corner kicks.
