NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. - The Bluffton University men's soccer team notched a 1-1 tie at HCAC regular-season champion Manchester University on Wednesday, Oct. 25. A third straight Heartland Conference tournemant berth was the icing on the cake as Bluffton secured the #6 seed! The Beavers moved to 7-7-2 overall and 3-4-2 in the HCAC. Manchester nailed down the #1 seed while moving to 10-0-7 and 6-0-3 in the conference.

Senior standout Elijah Zimmerman (Archbold) found JJ Meyer (Cincinnati/Oak Hills) early in the second stanza, putting the Beavers up 1-0 over the unbeaten Spartans! Manchester responded with the equalizer from Cory Mitchell, but Bluffton held firm and it earned a point with the 1-1 tie on Wednesday under the Indiana lights.

The home team charted a 13-5 edge in total shots, including 5-2 on target. Bluffton forced just one of the 11 corner kicks, but the Spartans were whistled for six more fouls (15-9).

Juniors Jackson Clark (Mount Blanchard/Riverdale) and Benjamin Davidson (Greenville) finished with two shots apiece. Angel Velasco-Urbina (Lexington, Ky./Henry Clay) turned away four Manchester attempts.

The Bluffton men will hit the road on Saturday, Oct. 28, for a Heartland Conference quarter-final matchup with Rose-Hulman! The start time at Terre Haute, Ind., is to be determined.

-BEAVERS-