Here’s the Bluffton University sports round up for this past weekend.
Men’s soccer
The Bluffton University men's soccer team traveled to Franklin College on Saturday, Oct. 12, for an evening Heartland Conference matchup under the lights. The Beavers dropped a 3-0 decision to the Grizzlies. Bluffton fell to 5-8 (0-3 HCAC) while Franklin improved to 4-10 (1-2 HCAC).
In the sixth minute, Franklin's Jordan Thomas connected with the back of the net to give the Grizzlies an early 1-0 lead. Another Grizzly goal gave the home team a 2-0 lead going into the half. Three minutes into the second stanza, Franklin's Trevor Bray netted another shot to secure the Grizzlies' 3-0 shutout over the Beavers.
Logan Spath (Stow/Stow-Monroe) led the Bluffton offense with two shots, both on goal. Dalton Taynor (Troy/Miami East) and Justin Combs (Union/Northmont) also put up two shots apiece.
Franklin fired 15 shots (eight on goal), compared to Bluffton's 11 (six on goal). The Grizzlies forced two more corner kicks (5-3) but were also whistled for eight more fouls (16-8). Beaver keepers Tanner Newport (Hamilton, VA/Loudoun Valley) and Connor Kaminicki (Northfield/Nordonia) had three and two saves, respectively.
The men are back in action on Wednesday, Oct. 16, when they travel to Earlham College for a matchup against the Quakers. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
Womens’ soccer
The Bluffton University women's soccer team traveled to Franklin College on Saturday, Oct. 12, for a Heartland Conference matchup. The Beavers dropped a tough 2-0 decision to the Grizzlies. Bluffton fell to 4-8 (1-2 HCAC) on the season, while Franklin improved to 2-10-1 overall (2-1 HCAC).
Defense was the name of the game through the first half with both teams unable to find the back of the net. However, just over five minutes into the second stanza, Franklin's Elaina Page netted the first tally of the match followed by another goal from Lilly Haines 10 minutes later to secure the Grizzlies' 2-0 victory.
Bluffton's Zoe Ryan (Pleasantville/Lancaster) and Frankie Hamilton (Ashland/Mapleton) led the Beaver offense with three shots each. Both teams put up 10 shots, but Franklin placed three more on goal (7-4). Bluffton forced five more corner kicks (7-2), while both teams were whistled for 14 fouls. Junior keeper Sienna Sullivan (Columbus/Hilliard Davidson) walked away with five saves in the loss.
The women are back in action on Wednesday, Oct. 16, when they welcome Earlham College to the Sears Athletic Complex. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m.
Cross country
The Beavers traveled to Wilmington College to compete against a stout field of runners on Friday, Oct. 11, 2019. Both the men and women had an opportunity to get in the top 35 places to be awarded a water bottle.
The ladies toed the line to run their 5k first. Senior Alexis Cash (Gaines, MI/Lake Fenton) was the only Beaver to place in the top 35, taking 34th with a season-best with time of 19:38. "This was our first time running this course and I wish I could run it again!" said Cash. Another senior, Arie Cox, (Ontario, OH/Ontario) came in second for the Beavers. Junior Kimmie Hetrick (Fremont, OH/Fremont-Ross) took 3rd with a time of 21:11.
Coming in with an amazing 4th place finish for the ladies with a collegiate best was sophomore Hope Nixon (Johnstown, OH/Johnstown-Monroe). "Hope had a near PR today. She has been running really well in practice, so it was great to see her fly around the course like she did today," stated Head Coach Logan Wells. Freshman Justine Lesniewski (Mantua, OH/Crestwood) rounded out the top 5 with a finish of 24:10. Senior Tami Groff (Versailles, OH/Versailles) finished 6th for the Beavers. "Looking back on the race," stated Coach Wells, "It wasn't our best today. They have had great training the past couple of weeks so I know there is greatness to come with these ladies." The women finished in 17th place.
The men took off next, destroying the 8k course. Freshman Britton Boyle (Middletown, OH/Middletown) finished first yet again for the Beavers with a time of 27:24, which was another personal record. The next two Beavers that crossed the finish line were seniors Connor Gulick (St. Louisville, OH/Utica) and Dakota Frost (Edgerton, OH/Hicksville).
Freshman Max Chandler (Liberty Township, OH/Lakota East) came in 4th with a time of 29:16. Rounding out the top 5 for the Beavers was sophomore Austin Hernandez (Marion, OH/Ridgedale) with a time of 29:50. Freshman Morgan Adams (Dublin, OH/Coffman) finished 6th for the men. Hernandez and Adams also ran a personal record on Friday. "Anytime you walk away to three PRs and a host of season bests, you know it is a great day. They came into this meet with the mentality to go out fast and they accomplished it. It shows that they can compete when it counts" quipped Coach Wells. The men finished in 19th place.
The Bluffton harriers will toe the line once again at the Inter-Regional Rumble on the campus of Oberlin College on Saturday, Oct. 19. The race starts at 10:30 a.m with the women running a 6k and the men an 8k.
Volleyball
The Bluffton University women's volleyball team welcomed #21 Transylvania University to Copeland Court on Saturday, Oct. 12. The Beavers put up a fight, but dropped a 3-1 (25-21, 25-12, 27-25, 25-13) decision to the Pioneers on Homecoming. Bluffton fell to 4-18 (0-3 HCAC) on the season, while Transylvania improved to 18-4 (3-0 HCAC).
Junior Sarah Heydinger (Tiro/Buckeye Central) led the Beaver offense with 11 kills. Remi Bower (Deshler/Patrick Henry) and Carley Lester (Chesapeake) hammered home 10 and eight winners, respectively. Sophomore Maddie White (Ashland) dished out 23 assists for the match.
Sophomore libero Brooke Kleman (Glandorf/Ottawa-Glandorf) powered the defense with 19 digs. Chelsey Taylor (Hicksville) chipped in 12 pickups. Taylor also fired two aces in the loss.
The women are back in action when they welcome Mount St. Joseph to the Sommer Center on Wednesday, Oct. 16. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.
