BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University men's soccer team broke through with two goals early in the second half and held off Earlham for a 2-1 victory on a beautiful Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. Bluffton improved to 7-4-1 overall and 3-1-1 in the Heartland Conference, while the Quakers fell to 3-7-3 and 1-3-1 in the HCAC.

Bluffton piled up a 12-2 advantage in shots during the opening half, but it wasn't until an Andrew Ireland (Coshocton/River View) free kick found Alex Brown (Delaware/Buckeye Valley) at the 47-minute mark that the Beavers cracked the scoreboard. Less than three minutes later it was deja vu when Ireland connected with Benjamin Davidson (Greenville) for a 2-0 lead!

Despite playing a man down for the final 25 minutes, Bluffton limited Earlham to just one goal en route to a 3-1-1 mark in the conference with four matches to go.

Leonardo Campos (Santiago, Chile/Campbellsville University) led the home team with four shots while Tarrel McRay (Kingston, Jamaica/Calabar) put all three of his attempts on frame. Angel Velasco-Urbina (Lexington, Ky./Henry Clay) was clean on all shots that were not penalty kicks, finishing with five saves.

The Beavers fired away with an 18-10 advantage in total shots, including 11-7 on frame. The home team was whistled for two more fouls (12-10) and it forced all three corner kicks on Wednesday night under the lights.

Bluffton stands third in the Heartland Conference heading into Saturday's critical matchup with Hanover College. The Senior Day clash is slated for 3:30 p.m. following the women's meeting with the Panthers.

-BEAVERS-