Win moves Bluffton to 6-10 overall
Dalton's Taynor's (Troy/Miami East) second goal of the match sent Bluffton to its first Heartland Conference win of the season when the sophomore found the back of the net in minute 107 for the 3-2 victory! The Beavers improved to 6-10 overall and 1-5 in the HCAC, while MSJ slipped to 3-13 and 1-5 in the conference.
Taynor took a feed from Christian Zapata (Livonia, MI/Adlai E. Stevenson) and Hunter Coffey (Wapakoneta) to secure the first goal of the match and give the Beavers and early 1-0 lead at the 16:14 mark. MSJ answered back with a goal of their own to tie the game at 1-1 going into the half.
The Lions' Will Cissell netted the first shot of the second stanza to give MSJ a 2-1 lead. In the 79th minute, Patrick Spillman (Anderson, IN/Frankton) took a feed from Zapata for a Beaver goal to tie the match 2-2 and send it into overtime. A strong defensive presence from both teams kept the first overtime scoreless. With just over three minutes left in the second extra session, a wind-aided pass from Elijah Grieser (Wauseon/Pettisville) allowed Taynor to find the back of the net again, securing the 3-2 victory.
MSJ put up 30 shots, compared to Bluffton's 21. The Lions also forced three more corner kicks (5-2) but were whistled for two fewer fouls (17-15). Freshman keeper Tanner Newport (Hamilton, VA/Loudoun Valley) walked away with nine saves for his sixth victory of the season.
Bluffton will head south down Interstate 75 for a meeting with Heartland Conference-leading Transylvania on Saturday, Oct. 26. The men are slated for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff following the women's 1 p.m. matchup with the Pioneers in Lexington, Ky.
Stories Posted This Week
Monday, August 31, 2026
Sunday, August 30, 2026
- Vickie Diane Little was a registered nurse
- Nancy Ann Wheeler Andrews worked for First Federal Savings and Loan
- Donor generosity powers Bluffton U technology upgrade
- Pirates girls soccer blanked by Sylvania
- Pirate volleyball drops 2 in close tri-match
- Pirate cross country opens Fall 2026 at DSJ Invite
- Back to School Days at Bluffton Public Library
Saturday, August 29, 2026
Friday, August 28, 2026
Thursday, August 27, 2026
- One seriously injured in Union Township crash
- President Sider introduces Reinvest, Reinvent, Reimagine framework in State of the University
- Bluffton girls tennis loss vs. Wapakoneta
- Pirate volleyball sweeps Rockets
- EMS Chief Noah Babcock is Sept. 1 Bluffton Lions speaker
- Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology): Air pollution and rheumatoid arthritis