September 2, 2011

CHICAGO, Ill. - The Bluffton University men's soccer team outscored Moody Bible College 2-1 in the second half, but the home team's four-goal first stanza proved too much to overcome as the Beavers dropped their 2011 season opener. Moody improved to 2-1 with the victory while Bluffton takes a 0-1 record into its Saturday contest with Benedictine.

Ethan Montesinos buried a penalty kick less than five minutes into the match, giving Moody a quick 1-0 lead. From there Jacob Persson took over, netting three scores during a span of 15 minutes. His goal from Kujtim Rushiti in the 36th minute made the score 4-0.

Freshman Tyson Spence (Arlington) collected a pass from senior Seth Hertenstein (St. Marys/Memorial) early in period two and converted his first collegiate goal. Another Persson score, his fourth of the match, pushed Moody to a 5-1 advantage before sophomore Jaden August's (Bluffton) unassisted tally made the final score 5-2.

Moody took 19 shots (10 on frame), compared to six shots for the Beavers (three on target). The home team committed four more infractions (15-11) and Moody forced two more corner kicks than the Beavers (4-2). Dan Saville (Toledo/Central Catholic) came up with two saves, while freshman Jorge Becerril (Sturgis, MI) added three stops in the second half. August led the Beavers with two shots, including his first goal at Bluffton.

The Beavers return to action with a 12 p.m. match against Benedictine at Moody Bible College on Saturday, Sept. 3.

-BEAVERS-