The Bluffton University men's soccer team is coming off its best season since joining the Heartland Conference in 1998. First-year Head Coach Steve Bushre inherits a squad that made Bluffton's first-ever appearance in the HCAC Tournament. Former ringleader Robert Richardson coached two seasons in a span of eight months, going 2-6-2 in the spring of 2021 before leading the Beavers to a 9-8 mark last fall. Coach Bushre will take the returners to Europe in August before adding his freshmen to the mix later in the month.
Gone are Jake Kiger and Jackson Heffernan, but fifth-year senior Dalton Taynor (Troy/Miami East) anchors a front line that returns two of the top five scorers in the conference. He was second in the HCAC with 13 goals despite missing the first four conference contests. Taynor is a three-time All-HCAC performer, including being named to the second team in 2021. Despite missing significant time the past two seasons, Taynor is 4th all-time with 35 goals at Bluffton.
Taynor and junior Elijah Zimmerman (Archbold) give Bluffton arguably the best one-two scoring punch in the Heartland Conference. Zimmerman blasted opposing defenses with 10 goals as a sophomore. His 10 tallies tied him for 4th in the HCAC. Zimmerman netted a school-record five game winners last season and he added an assist for 21 total points in 2021.
Senior Maxwell Kennedy (Strongsville) is the swiss army knife for Bluffton. A relentless defender, Kennedy added to his impressive resume with the game winner at Transylvania when his free kick in overtime gave the Beavers just their second win over the Pioneers in school history. Kennedy also takes care of free kicks, corner kicks and he was a perfect 2-of-2 on penalty kicks.
Senior Elijah Grieser (Wauseon/Pettisville) led the Beavers with eight points during the spring 2021 campaign after tallying five assists and two goals as a freshman. He has been a goal-scoring threat since making his debut on Bluffton's pitch in 2019. Likewise, Maximilian Pierce (Middletown, OH/Lebanon) has been a fixture in the back for the past three years. He chipped in two assists while starting all 17 matches as a junior.
The Boyle (Middletown) brothers, Britton and Brycen both played crucial roles for the Beavers in 2021. Britton's speed allowed the elder Boyle to clean up in the back. The Beavers received huge contributions from 2021 freshman Benjamin Davidson (Greenvillle), JJ Meyer (Cincinnati/Oak Hills), Andrew Ireland (Coshocton) and Jackson Clark (Mount Blanchard/Riverdale). Davidson and Ireland doled out four and three assists, respectively, while Meyer clipped the back of the net twice.
Angel Velasco-Urbina (Lexington, Ky./Henry Clay) found a home in the starting lineup on day one and the Beavers never looked back. He pitched two shutouts in his first four matches and Bluffton was on its way. Velasco-Urbina was a two-time HCAC Defensive Player of the Week and his back-to back road shutouts at Manchester and Anderson propelled his Beavers to their first-ever Heartland Conference Tournament victory and semi-final berth! His 1.38 goals against average and .796 save percentage were both 3rd in the conference. The five shutouts were a single-season record and they already have him tied for 2nd on the career list. He is tied for 3rd all-time with eight victories between the pipes.
Bluffton kicks off with UC-Clermont to open the season at the Sears Complex on Thursday, Sept. 1. A rare Wednesday trip to Lexington will see the Beavers kick off Heartland Conference action at Transylvania on September 28. Bluffton welcomes HCAC rivals MSJ, Anderson, RHIT and Manchester to the home pitch this season.
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