By Ryan Schadewald

The Bluffton University men's soccer team returned home on Wednesday, Sept. 18, for a contest with the Waynesburg University Yellow Jackets.

But in the 89th minute, Waynesburg's Ray Melone had a corner kick and centered it into Josh Hennigh, who was able to put the ball in the back of the net, handing the Yellow Jackets a 4-3 victory. The win propelled the visitors to 4-1 and denied the Beavers (0-5) their first victory.

Waynesburg came out in dominating form as Tim Fields scored the first goal just 21 seconds into the contest for a 1-0 lead. Then in the fifth minute, Cody Lemke was able to add to the scoring for the Yellow Jackets, making it 2-0.

The Beavers would respond, however, with two goals of their own. Their first was from Peter Carlson (Toledo/Springfield), who found the back of the net to cut the Yellow Jacket lead to 2-1 in the 12th minute.

Then in the 19th minute, Ben Knotts (Carrollton) was able to capitalize on a Waynesburg foul in the box and score on a penalty kick to tie the match at two goals apiece. Waynesburg's Zack Benedict capped the scoring in the first half on a goal in the 26th minute.

The first 15 minutes of the second half made for many scoring chances for both sides, but nothing that came to fruition in the scoring column. But in the 63rd minute, sophomore Michael Ralph (Mansfield/Christian) connected for his second tally of the season on an assist from T.J. Kline (Mogadore/Lake Center), knotting the score at three apiece.

After a superb performance by the defense and the goaltender for the Beavers, Hennigh's goal in the 89th minute sealed the Beavers' fate with another loss.

The home team was dominated in the shots department as Waynesburg outshot the Beavers 25-11 for the match, with 11 of the visitors' shots being on goal. Matt Hardman-Zimmerman (Forest City, Penn.) tallied seven saves for the home team, while Waynesburg's Brandon Daugherty made two saves to earn the win.

The Bluffton men will welcome Calvin College to the Sears Complex at 4 p.m. this Friday, Sept. 20.