WILMINGTON, OHIO — Transylvania earned its second victory of the season Wednesday night, defeating Wilmington College 1-0 at Williams Stadium. The Pioneers improved to 2-1 on the season.
Transylvania found the eventual game-winning goal early in the opening half. In the 15th minute, Stone Work found the back of the net off an assist from Nick Haskins to give the Pioneers a 1-0 advantage. The Pioneers continued to create opportunities throughout the first half. McKay Wheatley put three shots on goal over the opening 45 minutes, while Cole Varela also tested Wilmington goalkeeper Erik Axelsson. Transylvania carried its 1-0 advantage into halftime.
Wilmington applied pressure in the second half, but the Transylvania defense kept the Quakers off the board. Ethan Drew made four saves after halftime, including stops in the 53rd, 57th, 64th and 78th minutes, to preserve the shutout.
Transylvania continued to generate chances late, including shots on goal from Ethan Gudorf and Gus Dickman in the final 11 minutes. The Pioneers held Wilmington scoreless the rest of the way to secure the 1-0 road victory.
"Really proud of our guys tonight. They put in a gritty 90 minutes against a quality opponent," said Ben Federici, Head Coach of the Pioneers. "Coach Bucur has a strong group and they are really well coached. We will enjoy it tonight and refocus for another tough matchup this weekend."
Drew played all 90 minutes in goal and finished with five saves to earn the shutout. Work led the Pioneer attack with four shots, including two on goal and the game-winning score. Wheatley also finished with four shots and placed a team-high three on goal, while Varela and Dickman each recorded two attempts.
Wilmington finished with a 17-14 advantage in total shots and a 9-4 advantage in corner kicks, while Transylvania held an 8-5 edge in shots on goal. The Pioneers were whistled for nine fouls compared to 13 for Wilmington.
Transylvania returns to action at Pat Deacon Stadium on Saturday, hosting Mount Union at 1:00 p.m.
Transylvania University is a proud member of NCAA Division III and the HCAC. To keep up to date with all of Transylvania Athletics, check out our website at transysports.com and follow @TransySports on Instagram.
