LATE GOAL SINKS ONU AGAINST No. 6 INDIANA WESLEYAN

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – In their toughest matchup of the season thus far, a late goal proved costly for the Olivet Nazarene University men's soccer team as they fell 2-1 to No. 6 nationally ranked Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats Tuesday evening at the Bahr Soccer Facility.

The first half began with a defensive stand from Olivet Nazarene as Patrick Dye made an early save against Indiana Wesleyan's Islam Houssni in the opening minute. Despite this, Indiana Wesleyan took the lead in the 17th minute with a goal by Yarek Carnegie, following a yellow card issued to him just moments earlier. The Tigers' attempts to equalize included a shot by Ali Sillah in the 22nd minute and another by Atjon Thaqi in the 38th minute, both saved by Indiana's goalkeeper Kadin Wolfe, leaving the Tigers trailing 1-0 at the half.

The second half began with a tightly contested battle, marked by a crucial penalty save by Dye in the 63rd minute, denying Indiana Wesleyan the lead. Olivet responded with a goal in the 69th minute, as Nathan Schmidli found the back of the net with an assist from Thaqi, leveling the score at 1-1. Despite the defensive efforts, Indiana reclaimed the lead in the 82nd minute with a goal from Houssni, assisted by Diego Palma, securing a narrow 2-1 victory.

Schmidli scored one goal on his only shot attempt, making it count with precision. Sillah was active in the attack, recording two shots on goal from his two total shots. Thaqi contributed to the playmaking with one assist and led the team with five shots, two of which were on target. Dye, in goal, made four saves from six shots faced, providing a solid last line of defense.

The Tigers hold a 4-2-1 overall record. They will close their non-conference slate with a road match against Saint Francis (Ind.) Saturday.

--ONU—

*Contact: Evan Wild, Sports Information Director, ewwild@olivet.edu