The Bluffton University men's soccer team went at it with Mount St. Joseph for 110 minutes, notching the first tie during Head Coach Robert Richardson's tenure at the helm. Host MSJ and Bluffton finished 2-2 under the lights in Cincinnati.
Bluffton stands 0-2-1 overall and in the conference, while the Mount is now 1-1-1 in the Heartland Conference.
All of the scoring took place in the opening period with the two teams trading goals at a feverish pace. Sophomore Elijah Grieser (Wauseon/Pettisville) got the Beavers on the scoreboard just eight minutes in. Maximilian Pierce (Middletown/Lebanon) and Hunter Coffey (Wapakoneta) assisted on Bluffton's first goal of the season. Junior Dalton Taynor (Troy/Miami East) broke the 1-1 tie on a feed from Grant Ingham (Lebanon) in minute 24.
With the game again knotted up at 2-2, sophomore keeper Tanner Newport (Hamilton, Va./Loudoun Valley) came up huge when he denied a Luis Martinez Velez penalty kick at the 48:11 mark! The Beavers continued to keep the pressure on as the visitors finished with 10 shots on goal, two more than the Lions. Playing with two experienced starters sidelined on Wednesday night, Bluffton forged its first tie since 2015.
Two Beavers earned their first collegiate starts at MSJ with sophomores Evan Hill (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson), who played the full 110 minutes, and Andrew Bowers (Perrysburg) both on the pitch for kickoff. Grieser and Taynor fired four shots each with seven of those on frame, while Maxwell Kennedy (Strongsville) and Justin Combs (Union/Northmont) chipped in three shots apiece.
Newport worked the full 110 minutes in goal with six saves and the stuff of MSJ's penalty kick. The Lions forced four more corner kicks (11-7) and were whistled for nine more fouls (20-11).
Bluffton hits the road again on Saturday, March 13, when the Beavers travel to Anderson University. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. following the women's 1 p.m. matchup with AU.
WOMEN'S GAME
The Bluffton University women's soccer team pushed MSJ for 90 minutes, but the Lions took advantage of some bad bounces in a 3-0 victory over the home team on a windy Wednesday, March 10, 2021. Bluffton slipped to 0-3 on the season and 0-2 in the Heartland Conference, while MSJ improved to 2-1 and 2-1 in the HCAC.
Jodie Weimer found Lauren Haynes in minute 15 for a 1-0 Lion lead on Wednesday afternoon. The Beavers tightened up the screws for the next 58 minutes before a pair of MSJ tallies in a two-minute span put the icing on the cake as Haynes netted her second score and Alex Huon sealed the 3-0 decision in minute 75.
Senior Jules Frazier (Nova/Mapleton) picked up five saves between the pipes. Sophomore Taylor Dye (Big Prairie/West Holmes) finished with two shots for the Beavers.
Both teams fired five shots in the opening stanza, but MSJ used an 8-2 spread in the second half to finish with a 13-7 advantage for the match. The Lions were whistled for five more fouls (17-12), but Bluffton forced one more corner kick (3-2). Bluffton showed a tenacity on Wednesday that was evident from the opening whistle as the Beavers played with a physicality not yet seen this season.
Bluffton will hit the road on Saturday, March 13, when the Beavers travel to Anderson University for a 1 p.m. matchup with the Ravens.
