The Case Western Reserve University men's soccer team opened the 2026 season in style, defeating Ohio Wesleyan University 6-1 on Tuesday night at DiSanto Field in Cleveland.

The Spartans scored five times in the first half, including three goals in a span of 124 seconds, to start the campaign with a 1-0-0 record. The Battling Bishops, who struck first in the contest, fell to 0-1-0 overall.

Standout Performers

• Junior Owen Guffey had the first three-point game of his career, notching scoring in the 38th minute with an assist on the first goal for CWRU
• Senior Cormac Apostolides earned his first career score, converting from the penalty spot in the 15th minute for the eventual game-winning goal. He also had an assist in the game
• Senior Sean Wilson scored a goal in the 16th minute and added an assist
• Junior Ashton McNally scored for the third time in his career and senior Cameron Thayer notched his first career goal in the 14th minute
• Graduate student Saiheed Jah (assist) and junior Joseph Jung (goal) had their first career points with CWRU
• Sophomore goalkeeper Carter Shedd allowed one goal in 77:51 with two saves, and first-year Louis Markin completed the game in front of the net, saving one shot

First Half

• The Battling Bishops scored in the seventh minute on a goal by Cade Wurstner to take an early lead
• Eight minutes later, Guffey arched a corner kick into the box that evaded all defenders to the back post. Thayer was there to shoot the ball into the back of the net and tie the score at one
• Just 42 seconds after play resumed, CWRU earned a penalty kick after a foul in the box. Apostolides took the strike for the first time in his career, sending the ball past the goalkeeper to give the Spartans a lead they would not relinquish
• Sophomore Micah Rossen had a run down the near side of the field and fired a shot at the corner of the goal that required a diving save. Wilson dove for the loose ball and headed it into the empty net, putting Case Western Reserve up 3-1
• Rossen earned his first assist of the season on the play
• In the 24th minute, Wilson found McNally with a cross into the box, and the junior headed the ball into the left corner of the goal for the tally
• Wilson secured his second career assist and his first game with a goal and an assist
• The team's final tally of the half came on a scramble in the box. A throw-in was headed toward the near post and Apostolides was able to head the ball to the goal line. With the ball not yet in the goal, Guffey charged into the area, getting the ball across the line for his second goal of the contest

Second Half

• Shedd made his second save of the game in the 49th minute, though neither team took many attempts on goal in the second half
• In the 84th minute, Jah had a breakaway on the far side of the field. He found Jung in the center of the pitch at the top of the box, and Jung used a left-footed strike to score for the first time in his career

Spartan Notes

• The six goals are the most by CWRU since the squad defeated Westminster 6-1 on September 21, 2021. The Spartans last scored six goals in a season-opening game in 2000, defeating Lake Erie 6-0 to open the campaign
• Case Western Reserve moved to 21-7-4 in season-opening matches since the 1994 season and 12-1-3 in its last 16 such games
• Shedd, Markin, Jah, first-year Spencer Abbott, first-year Colton Anckaitis, sophomore Kamil Georges, and first-year Tad Woolfe all made their Spartan debuts in the game

Up Next

CWRU hosts Juniata on DiSanto Field on Saturday, September 5 at 4 p.m.