Box Score LANCASTER, Pa. – Ben Wild's goal with just 11 seconds remaining in regulation delivered the No. 6 Franklin & Marshall men's soccer team a memorable 1-0 Homecoming win against Johns Hopkins on Saturday evening in Centennial Conference (CC) competition.
The Diplomats remained unbeaten in CC action and improved to 10-1-3, 5-0-1 CC while the Blue Jays fell to 9-3-2, 3-3 CC.
In the 89th minute, Ben Draheim sent a long corner kick into the far post that was initially headed in on net by Connor Whitacre. A Johns Hopkins defender deflected the shot, which then careened off of Alex Bilodeau and over to a waiting Wild who tallied the game winner with a strike to the middle of the net.
The goal was the result of a flurry of shots by F&M in the final minute of action as a relentless Diplomat offense tallied five in the final 60 seconds of the stanza. Johns Hopkins made a last-ditch effort with five seconds to go, but goalkeeper Dave Reingold quickly corralled Samy Ramadane's attempt from 30 yards out.
F&M controlled the opening 45 minutes of the game and entered halftime with an 8-0 edge in corners. The Blue Jays failed to generate opportunities in their offensive third, despite leading the corner count at 3-1.
In the second half, the Diplomats continued to apply pressure with a total of 14 shots in the frame before hitting pay dirt in the final minute. Overall, shots belonged to F&M at 22-6 and corners at 5-4.
Jason Tonelli and Ben Draheim both registered four shots, followed by Ugo Okolie with three. Wild, Paul McWhirter, and Robert Maze each notched two.
Reingold (10-1-3) recorded one save for his fifth shutout of the season and Bryan See was dealt the tough-luck loss for the Blue Jays after turning back six attempts on net.
These teams appear to have a flair for the dramatic when facing off in Lancaster. The last meeting on Tylus in 2014 ended with just 12 seconds to go when Jeremy Levine tallied a goal to give F&M the 2-1 win.
CC competition continues on Saturday when fellow conference unbeaten Haverford comes to town for a critical 4:00 p.m. matchup in Lancaster.
