Takayla Gadberry, sports information alumna

Wyoming, MI – The Bluffton University women's soccer team secured a 7-5 victory over Grace Christian on Saturday afternoon. The Beavers improved to 1-2-1 with Head Coach Zach Hammon's first win at the helm! Grace dropped to 1-4.

The Tigers put a score on the board first (1-0) just over five minutes into play. Bluffton answered back with four straight goals when Nina McGinn (Marion/Harding) and Alyssa Kester (Centerville) both netted two tallies apiece to give the visitors a 4-1 lead. A Grace Christian goal made it 4-2, but Kelsie Gladieux (Northwood/Lake) found the back of the net, assisted by Taylor Dye (Big Prairie/West Holmes) and Alyssa Potteiger (Findlay/Van Buren), to make the score 5-2 going into the half. 

Dye opened the second half with her first goal of the season to put the Beavers up 6-2 early. Grace responded with a shot in the net, trimming their deficit to three (6-3). McGinn found the webbing for a third time in the match, opening a commanding 7-3 lead with the first Beaver hat trick since Ashley Keller accomplished that feat against Earlham back in 2015! Despite two more goals from the Tigers, it was too little, too late, and Bluffton nailed down its first victory of the season. 

Beaver goalkeeper Brielle Collier (Anna) picked up her first win of the season with four saves. Two Tiger netminders saw time on the field, tallying a total of 11 saves between them. Bluffton outshot Grace 23-10 (18-9 on goal). The visiting team forced three more corner kicks (6-3), but the winners were also whistled for four more fouls (8-4).

The Beavers are back on the pitch Thursday, Sept. 15, when they travel to Kokomo, Ind., for a matchup against Indiana University-Kokomo. Kickoff is slated to go off at 4 p.m. Go Beavers!

-BEAVERS-