By: Colton Steiner
BLUFFTON, Ohio - For the fifth year in a row, the Bluffton Beavers would compete in the HCAC Tournament as they would play host to the Mount St. Joseph Lions in a night game on Alumni field. After 90 minutes of play, the Beavers would continue dancing as a pair of Nick Meyer (Lewisburg, Ohio / Tri-County North) goals would lift the Beavers onto the HCAC Tournament semi-finals for only the second time in program history, with their last appearance being in 2021. After the 2-0 win, the Beavers sit at a record of 8-9-1, while Mount St. Joseph ends their season with a mark of 6-10-3.
Following 18 minutes of action to start the contest, Nick Meyer would take advantage of a corner kick from William Clark (Mount Blanchard, Ohio / Riverdale), where the freshman was able to boot in the first goal into the left side of the net, giving the hosts a 1-0 lead. Despite allowing the Lions to get three shots on goal in the first half, none of the chances would sneak into the Bluffton net as the Beavers would hold a 1-0 lead at the break. The second half would be a physical battle, but neither team letting up defensively until there were 42 seconds left to play as Jaden Ngufor (London, Ont. Canada / FC London) would feed Nick Meyer with a perfect lead pass as Meyer would hit a low roller passed the Mount St. Joseph goalie and into the net as the Beavers would come out with a 2-0 victory.
The contest would be even for both sides, as Bluffton edged out the Lions in total shots at a 17-13 mark with a 9-6 advantage in shots on frame. It would be a day to remember for Nick Meyer, who would score on both of his shots on goal in 73 minutes of action. William Clark and Jaden Ngufor would each tally assists in the contest, with Alex Brown (Delaware, Ohio / Buckeye Valley) and Leonardo Campos (Santiago, Chile / Campbellsville University) each recording a pair of shots on goal each.
Bluffton will focus their attention on their next matchup in the HCAC semi-finals as they travel south to Kentucky to face off against the no. 1 seed Transylvania Pioneers on Wednesday, Nov. 5.
-Beavers-
