By: Ryan Schadewald, sports information assistant
DEFIUANCE, Ohio - Despite trailing early, the Bluffton women’s soccer team used a hat trick by sophomore Terrill Webb (Kenton) to defeat their arch-rival Defiance College Yellow Jackets 4-2 on Tuesday, Oct. 21. The win was Bluffton’s first in HCAC play, improving to 1-4-1 (4-10-1 overall), while the Yellow Jackets fell to 0-5-1 in the HCAC, 2-13-1 overall. It was also Bluffton’s first victory over Defiance since 2011, when they won with a 1-0 shutout.
The Yellow Jackets began the scoring in just the fifth minute of action as Erica Islas found Kassie Memmer, who buried one in the back of the net to give the home team a 1-0 lead. Webb responded with a goal in the 18th minute with an assist from Danielle McQuillin (Delta/Pike-Delta-York) and Jo Bondra (Highland Heights/Mayfield), knotting the score at 1-1. Brittany Huff's (Union/Northmont) corner kick curled into the net with 14 minutes to play in the opening stanza, giving Bluffton a 2-1 halftime advantage.
The Jackets would respond early in the second half, when Memmer returned the favor by assisting on a goal by Islas to tie Bluffton at 2-2. Webb then put the nail in the coffin with goals in the 76th and 83rd minutes, courtesy of assists from Brittany Huff and Jessica Williams (Genoa/Genoa Area) to hand the Beavers the 4-2 victory.
Webb’s three goals gives her a total of eight on the season, placing her just outside of the top ten on the all-time Beaver goal-scoring list with three matches left to play. The all-time record is 16, set by Tara Young in 1998. It was Bluffton's first hat trick since Kristen Tropf (Findlay/Van Buren) accomplished the feat in a 5-0 shutout against Anderson a year ago.
The visitors were able to outshoot the Yellow Jackets 12-6, as well as having a 4-1 edge in corner kicks. Webb also led the Beavers with seven shots in the contest, all of them being on frame.
The Bluffton women return to action at home this Saturday, Oct. 25 as they take on the Transylvania University Pioneers in a 1 p.m. start. The match will be played at Bluffton High School’s Steinmetz Field as both soccer teams, the football team and the volleyball team are all at home this Saturday. Come support your Beavers!
-BEAVERS-
