An experienced and deep women's soccer team is ready to build on its best season since 2015 when the Beavers take the pitch in September. Head Coach Kevin Gregory has been instrumental in re-energizing a program that had won just three matches total in the two years prior to his arrival in 2018. Bluffton is coming off its best Heartland Conference mark since the 2011 squad when the Beavers advanced to the HCAC Tournament finals for the only time in school history.
With eight returning seniors on the roster who have all played extensive minutes throughout their time at Bluffton, the Beavers are poised for a breakout season in 2020. The strength of the women's soccer team starts with its tough defense. Senior keepers Sienna Sullivan (Columbus/Hilliard Davidson) and Jules Frazier (Nova/Mapleton) have combined to start every match for Bluffton the past three years. Frazier allowed just 1.45 GPG with a superlative .880 save percentage last season, forging a 3-3-2 mark between the pipes. Sullivan got it done with a pair of shutouts as a junior.
Hannah Wagner (Cincinnati/Mother of Mercy) has been a mainstay for the Beaver defense, starting in all 50 matches she has played during her collegiate career. Seniors Taylor Steinke (Findlay) and Caroline Schutz (Rawson/Cory-Rawson) both came off the bench in 2019 after starting early in their careers and the move paid dividends as Bluffton's increased depth helped the Beavers limit their Heartland Conference opponents to just 15 goals, the fewest since 2011.
The biggest change to the 2019 lineup came with moving Maddie Huffman (Maineville/Little Miami) to the midfield where she put up monster numbers. Huffman registered just 10 shots total during her first two seasons before finding the back of the net six times last year on 53 attempts! She also added four assists for a team-high 16 points. Senior Abigail Newkirk (New Vienna/Fairfield) was sidelined for the first few weeks of her junior campaign, but she recovered and played valuable minutes for the Beavers last season. Tajah Upshaw (Lima/Senior) has started 47 matches as a Beaver and she netted her first two collegiate goals as a junior, including the game winner versus Earlham.
Returning junior Julia Gibson (New Carlisle/Tecumseh) gives the Beavers another legitimate scoring threat up front. She tallied four goals and four assists last season after netting three goals and three assists as a freshman. Nina McGinn (Marion/Harding), Zoe Ryan (Pleasantville/Lancaster), Katlin Sanning (Fairborn/Tecumseh) and Emma White (St. Marys/Memorial) all started at least 15 matches as freshmen with Ryan and McGinn combining for six points in 2019.
Bluffton University is excited to announce its Heartland Conference men's soccer schedule for the 2020-21 school year! The nine-match slate kicks off with Defiance traveling to the Sears Complex on Wednesday, March 3. Although the conference portion of the schedule has been moved to the spring due to COVID-19, the Beavers will play at Trine on Tuesday, Oct. 13, before hosting Adrian College on Saturday, Oct. 17.
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