By: Brandy Bidlack, sports information assistant
Sept. 30, 2008

BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University men's soccer team battled Mount Union on Tuesday, September 30, 2008. In the first ever soccer meeting between the two schools, Bluffton came up just short, 2-1. Bluffton dropped to 4-4-1, while Mount Union improved to 5-4-1 on the season.

At the 16:33 mark Purple Raider MATT PARNELL struck first, giving Mount Union the 1-0 lead which stood up for most of the first half.

Using a free kick from NOLAN PHELPS (Monroe/Lemon-Monroe) near the right sideline, a header by NATE FLATH (Wadsworth/Wadsworth) scorched the back of the net at the 38:14 mark.

Mt. Union responded 41 seconds later when TJ Welch buried a shot in traffic, giving the Purple Raiders a 2-1 lead over the home team with just over six minutes to play in the first half. The defenses took over as Mount Union held on for the 2-1 victory over the Beavers.

Nate Flath scored the lone goal for Bluffton. STEVE RUCKI (Killbuck/West Holmes) and JACOB GRAHAM (Gomer/Elida) both chipped in two shots. Freshman DAN SAVILLE(Toledo/Central Catholic) snatched seven saves, while BRIAN GOOD (Elida/Elida) picked up one stop late in the first half.

Bluffton took eight shots, while Mount Union had 13 for the contest. Both teams forced five corner kicks, and the Purple Raiders were whistled for 17 infractions. The Beavers had 15 fouls in addition to being awarded all three yellow cards during the match.

Bluffton returns to action on Saturday, October 4, when the Beavers travel to face HCAC rival Anderson University. The match is slated to start at 1 p.m.

-BEAVERS-