August 29, 2008

NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. - The Bluffton University men's soccer team found the net early and often in a 4-1 victory over Moody Bible on Friday, Aug. 29, at Manchester College. The Beavers rolled up a 4-0 lead at the half and finished with a 4-1 season-opening win for the first time since Bluffton knocked off Moody 4-2 to start the 2002 campaign.

Senior Nate Flath (Wadsworth/Wadsworth) found his teammates for three assists in the first 37 minutes of the game. Although the Beavers struggled to maintain possession of the ball at times, Bluffton capitalized on its goal-scoring opportunities and found the back of the net four times in the first half. Just five minutes into the contest, Derrick Scovanner (Loveland/Cincinnati Hills) put the Beavers on the scoreboard thanks to Flath's first assist of the season.

Flath hit freshman Justin Ryerson (Perrysburg/Perrysburg) 12 minutes later, giving Bluffton a 2-0 lead over Moody Bible. With 10 minutes to play in the opening period, Flath distributed the ball to junior Dan Tinch (Middletown/Madison) who converted for a 3-0 advantage.

Late in the first 45 minutes of play, sophomore Andrew Johnson (Vienna, WV/Parkersburg) used a nice feed from senior Nolan Miller (Middlebury, Ind./Hesston) to cap the Beavers' scoring while making it 4-0 in favor of Bluffton. Moody scored its only goal in the contest early in the second half, but the Bluffton defense clamped down as it took game one of the Manchester Tournament by a 4-1 count.

The Beavers, who placed seven shots on goal compared to one for Moody Bible, return to the pitch on Saturday, August 30, when they tackle Grace College, a 1-0 overtime winner over the host Spartans, at 12 p.m. in North Manchester, Indiana.

-BEAVERS-