By Andrew Snyder
Athletic Marketing Coordinator

MARION, Ind. — An early goal from junior captain Spencer Aeschliman gave Goshen College the lead before Stuart Aeschliman tallied the go-ahead goal to put the Maple Leafs ahead for good, defeating Indiana Wesleyan University 2-1 in a Crossroads League men's soccer tournament quarterfinal  Wednesday night.

"Tonight's game was really down to a few major factors," commented Maple Leaf head coach Arron Patrick. "We learned from the our previous game what Indiana Wesleyan's strengths were, and what areas we could really exploit. We put a game plan together and the guys really bought in; not only did they buy in, they executed perfectly."

It didn't take long for the Maple Leafs (12-5-2, 4-3-2) to grab the upper hand, earning a free kick early in the eighth minute; by the end of the same frame Goshen had the 1-0 lead. Maple Leaf midfielder TJ White intercepted the initial clearance from the set piece, redirecting it back towards the far post. A backside run from the elder Aeschliman—who also celebrated his birthday Wednesday—was timed perfectly to beat the offside trap as he then maneuvered around the goalkeeper and finished for the 1-0 advantage.

The hosts didn't shy away from the challenge, and in the 21st minute the Wildcats (9-7-2, 5-3-1) connected with possession down the left wing. Glauber Oliveira and Nico Matern directed the attack back toward the top of the 18-yard box and junior Sammy Conti. The lefty midfielder curled a shot over Goshen goalkeeper Johan Escalante and into the net, temporarily pulling IWU even at 1-1.

Through the first 45 minutes of a cold and rainy night, the Wildcats managed five shots to Goshen's four, while the Maple Leafs took two of the half's three corner kicks.

Nine minutes into the second half Goshen transitioned aggressive defense into a counterattack offense as Spencer Aeschliman and Nate Nussbaum took possession. The duo worked the ball forward to Stuart Aeschliman, who took the opportunity to pick up his 11th goal of his freshman campaign and put the Maple Leafs ahead once again.

This time, despite seven Wildcat shots, the lead would hold to the final whistle.

"Wesleyan is a very good side, but we knew we could hit them on the counter attack and on recycled balls from set pieces," mentioned Patrick. "The two goals that we scored were things we worked on this week, and they really paid off."

Indiana Wesleyan finished with a 14-5 shot advantage while conceding four corner kicks compared to only taking three. Maple Leaf goalkeeper Johan Escalante made four saves in the win for Goshen, while Andrew Wick made one save in the loss for the Wildcats.

"The whole team stayed really disciplined," Patrick explained. "Our shape was perfect, and our forwards did a nice job of defensive positioning, allowing us to then counter immediately from the middle third."

The win is Goshen's first in Marion since 2004, and also features the first time a pair of brothers have both scored in the same game since at least 2007. The last confirmed case was September 19, 1992, when Mike and Scott Bodiker each tallied in a 12-0 rout of Defiance; records for several intervening seasons are incomplete.

2017 marked the third time in four years that Goshen and IWU had met in the conference tournament: this time, Goshen ended the Wildcats' season. IWU had won all eight previous head-to-head matchups in the conference tournament, which began in 1995.

The Maple Leafs had never beaten a school called Indiana Wesleyan in a men's soccer playoff game: while Goshen prevailed in all three NAIA District 21 tournament meetings, the last of those came in 1973 when the opposing school was known as Marion College.

"It's a game that doesn't go down as our prettiest, but it sure feels like a great win. We lost on Saturday with large amounts of possession, and tonight we won with a lot less of the ball. There aren't many teams that can do that; who are willing to change styles so drastically. Our diversity is a huge strength, and tonight our will to win, joined with that, got us the result."

The win sets Goshen up for a semifinal rematch with Grace College on Saturday in Winona Lake, a week after the Lancers knocked the Maple Leafs out of the top four with a 1-0 win at the John Ingold Athletic Complex. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. with live coverage on GC's award-winning campus radio station, 91.1 The Globe.

"We certainly don't get time to rest," concluded Patrick. "We play a good Grace team on Saturday on the road, and I hope a ton of fans come out to support us. We are very confident going into the game and look forward to the challenge of facing the second seed.