A goal in the second minute of overtime by Ohio Wesleyan's Will Sharer lifted Ohio Wesleyan past Wabash in the semifinal round of the 2017 North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament.
 
The result overshadowed a two-goal effort by senior Cory Sims to stake the Little Giants (11-6-1) to leads on two different occasions. Sims pounded a header into the net in the final minute of the first half to give Wabash a 1-0 lead at the break. OWU (12-6-1) tied the contest in the 54^th minute when Ryan Roberts tallied his fifth goal of the season off a pass from Trey Olsen to make the score 1-1.
 
Sims notched his second goal of the game four minute later, firing a ball that rebounded off the OWU goalkeeper into the back of the net for his sixth goal of the season to give Wabash the 2-1 lead.
 
The teams continued to battle in the cold, wet weather in Delaware, Ohio throughout the second half. The Little Giants were two minutes away from advancing in regulation time when Ben Sobotka scored his fifth goal of the season to even the match at 2-2, forcing extra time.  Ohio Wesleyan managed the only two shot attempts of the extra period.
 
"This one is tough to swallow," Wabash head coach Chris Keller said. "We played a fantastic game and went toe to toe with Ohio Wesleyan. We outplayed them most of the game. We were so unlucky to hit the post with a great shot by Stojan Krsteski for a chance to go up 3-1 with 15 minutes left. It was an inch away from going in the goal. Then going through the heartbreak by allowing them to score with two minutes left to play. I credit Ohio Wesleyan for finding a way to score, but we were clearly the better team today.
 
"I'm disappointed for this group of guys who fought so hard this year and played so well. This group of seniors have accomplished more than any other group of players in the history of Wabash soccer. We truly felt we should be playing Saturday for the championship. I'm just so proud of how this team performed and how the seniors became men through their play. This is a bitter-sweet ending to their great careers."  
 
The Battling Bishops outshot Wabash 13-6 in the second period after the visiting Little Giants held an 8-7 edge in shots over the opening 45 minutes. Sims tallied four of the 14 Wabash shots in the match with a team-high two shots on goal. Freshman goalkeeper Demitri Lee made five saves for Wabash.
 
Wabash earned its third NCAC tournament bid in the past four seasons to set up the semifinal match against the Bishops. The seniors depart with 46 victories over the past four years, more wins than any other group of seniors.
 
Ohio Wesleyan advances to the championship game to face top-seeded Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio Saturday.