BLUFFTON, Ohio - BEAVERS WIN! BEAVERS WIN!! BEAVERS WIN!!! The Bluffton University men's soccer team punched its ticket for the 2022 Heartland Conference tournament with a 3-1 pummeling of visiting Manchester University on a glorious Tuesday, Oct. 25. Bluffton improved to 7-7-3 overall and 5-4 in the Heartland Conference, notching the most HCAC wins in school history. Manchester slipped to 5-7-5 and 4-2-3 in conference play.
Bluffton fell behind in minute 29 when Elliot Mozinga served up a beauty for Julian Keough as Manchester went up 1-0, a lead the visitors would carry into the second half.
Stanza two looked nothing like the opening period and it took just two minutes for Bluffton to strike back. Sophomore Benjamin Davidson (Greenville) drilled the equalizer after toying with the Spartan defense early in the second half and when Maximilian Pierce (Middletown/Lebanon) served it up to him at the 61:01 mark, Bluffton had completely flipped the script as the Beavers were firmly in control, up 2-1.
Manchester managed just one paltry attempt in the second period while battling the wind and playing the majority of the final 45 on the defense as Bluffton fired at will with 12 shots. Adding insult to an already battered ego, Dru Arrasmith (Xenia/Greeneview) uncorked a free kick from in front of the press box and it bounded over the Spartan keeper from nearly 60 yards out for Bluffton's third tally of the half!
Davidson did the damage with his second and third goals of the season. Junior Elijah Zimmerman (Archbold) finished with three shots, while Davidson, Dalton Taynor (Troy/Miami East) and JJ Meyer (Cincinnati/Oak Hills) all chipped in with two attempts.
Sophomore Angel Velasco-Urbina (Louisville, KY/Henry Clay), hot off being named the HCAC Defensive Player of the Week, finished with one save as the Beavers controlled much of the action on Tuesday.
Bluffton finished with a 15-5 shot advantage, including 7-2 on frame. Manchester was whistled for one more foul, 13-12, but the Spartans earned all three yellow cards in the second half. The visitors had a 9-4 advantage in corner kicks.
The Beavers will await Wednesday's Transylvania-Franklin result but they know that they will be involved in their second HCAC tournament in school history, also their second in 13 months! A Transylvania tie or victory over the Grizzlies would send Manchester back to Bluffton on Saturday for an HCAC quarter-final matchup with the Beavers.
-BEAVERS-
