By: Takayla Gadberry, sports information assistant

BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University men's soccer team was back in action on Wednesday, Oct. 2, as they welcomed Finlandia University to Sears Athletic Complex and secured a 7-0 shutout over the Lions. The Beavers finish up non-conference play at 5-5 (.500) for the first time since 2008.

Just two minutes into the match, Dalton Taynor (Troy/Miami East) took a nice feed from Hunter Coffey (Wapakoneta) and deposited in the back of the net to give the home team an early 1-0 lead. Taynor hit paydirt less than five minutes later to give the Beavers a 2-0 lead going into the half.

Taynor and Brandon DeCoursey (Bruceville/North Knox) started the fire for the Bluffton offense midway through the second half, giving the Beavers a comfortable 4-0 lead over the Lions. Igor Malaquias (Bethlehem, Penn./Northampton CC), Christian Parker (Urbana/West Liberty) and Justin Combs (Union/Northmont) all netted shots during the final 10 minutes to secure the 7-0 shut-out victory.

Bluffton fired a total of 30 shots while Finlandia only took 12. The Beavers forced two more corner kicks (3-1), but were whistled for eight more fouls (18-10). Freshman keeper Tanner Newport (Hamilton, Va./Loudoun Valley) picked up five saves on the day with junior Connor Kaminicki (Northfield/Nordonia) adding one in his first action of the season.

The men begin HCAC play on Saturday, Oct. 5, with a home matchup against Rose-Hulman. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. following the women's 1 p.m. HCAC opener with the Engineers. Go Beavers!

-BEAVERS-