BLUFFTON, Ohio - A pair of Bluffton University sophomores were honored when the Heartland Conference doled out its 2020-21 all-conference awards on Monday, April 12, 2021. Elijah Grieser (Wauseon/Pettisville) and Maxwell Kennedy (Strongsville) were selected Honorable Mention All-HCAC after a most unique season that spanned nearly eight months.
Grieser led the Beavers with four assists and eight total points. He finished the season with 20 shots, including seven on frame. The sophomore found the back of the net two times, once at MSJ on March 10 and again three days later in a 3-1 victory at Anderson when he scored one goal and had assists on the two other Bluffton tallies. He has 17 career points after scoring two goals as a freshman along with five assists in 2019.
Kennedy doubled his scoring output this season, scoring two goals after netting one during his freshman campaign. He put up Bluffton's lone goal in a home loss to Transylvania and then just less than three weeks later he put up one of Bluffton's season-high four goals in a waxing of Anderson in the HCAC Tournament.
The Beavers showed tremendous growth and improvement during Head Coach Robert Richardson's first season at the helm, battling a laundry list of injuries that kept key personnel off the field for, in many cases, all year. Coach Richardson and Assistant Coach Harry Kirwan helped guide the Beavers through Covid-19 and because of their steady hands and leadership, the Bluffton Men's Soccer Program is in a much better place than it was 10 months ago.
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