BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University men's soccer team will be under the direction of first-year Head Coach Sean Kaighin with the Beavers looking forward to continuing the upward trend that former frontmen Robert Richardson and Steve Bushre ignited. The Bluffton men earned their first-ever HCAC tournament berth in 2021 and then they followed that up with their first ever home match in the 2022 Heartland Conference tournament. The double-overtime thriller went Manchester's way when the Spartans found the back of the net in minute 105 for a 1-0 victory. Bluffton made it three straight berths in 2023 when the visitors notched a tie with the HCAC-champion Spartans, a team that went 6-0-3 through the Heartland Conference.
The men will need to replace one of the all-time greats at Bluffton, Elijah Zimmerman, just one year after another one, Dalton Taynor, wrapped up his career. They are both top seven all-time in goals and points. Zimmerman finished 6th with 57 points that included 24 goals. Taynor is 3rd in the career record books with 44 goals and 97 total points. Zimmerman left Bluffton 2nd all-time with seven match winners and his six penalty kicks is also 2nd all-time. His 4,782 minutes is 6th all-time for the Bluffton men.
One of the strengths for the 2024 Beavers is between the pipes where three-year starter Angel Velasco-Urbina (Lexington, Ky./Henry Clay) resides. In just three seasons, Angel has established himself as the benchmark against whom all future keepers will be judged against at Bluffton. He already tops the career lists with 22 wins and 9.5 shutouts and his 4,548 minutes played are 10th all-time regardless of position. Velasco-Urbina is a two-time All-Heartland Conference performer, including earning first team honors as a sophomore in 2022.
Jackson Clark (Mount Blanchard/Riverdale) had a breakout junior campaign, more than doubling his career goal output with six tallies in 2023. The three-year starter drilled four free kicks, including the game winner at Heidelberg when he scored twice in the final two minutes en route to a stunning 4-3 victory for the Beavers! He is sitting on 10 goals and 21 career points heading into his final campaign at Bluffton.
Leonardo Campos (Santiago, Chile/Campbellsville University) deposited five of his 32 shots in the back of the net on the way to 11 points, 3rd high on the team in 2023. Fellow 2024 seniors JJ Meyer (Cincinnati/Oak Hills) and Benjamin Davidson (Greenville) scored four goals apiece, en route to 10 and nine points, respectively. Andrew Ireland (Coshocton) equaled Zimmerman for team-high honors with four assists. He has been a starter in 42 of his 47 matches at Bluffton.
A pair of 2024 juniors give the Beavers experience in the backfield as Alex Brown (Delaware/Buckeye Valley) and Andrew Phillips (Westfield, IN) have been constants on the Bluffton defense. Brown came up and scored three points in 2023, starting 16 times, while Phillips played in 14 matches.
Capital will make the trip up from Columbus for the season opener on Friday, Aug. 30. Heartland Conference action tips off when Rose-Hulman comes to town for a women's and men's doubleheader on Saturday, Sept. 28. Bluffton travels for a matchup with the newest member of the HCAC, Berea College, on Wednesday, Oct. 16. The regular season caps off with a contest at Earlham College on Wednesday, Oct. 30.
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