Beloit College Men’s Soccer played Grinnell College in the first round of the conference tournament on Friday, Nov. 7 at Lake Forest College, and fell to them in the second half, 0-2.
Before kickoff at 2 p.m., energy and nerves were high on Farwell Field, and the game began with a hard press by the Pioneers. The first half showed the strengths of both defenses, with Matteo Jijon’29 and Eziah Hernandez’29 combining multiple times as the Bucs made their way up the field, but struggled to find the back of the net.
Jijon, Nick Williams’28, and Rosario Escalera’26 helped goalkeeper David Staats’28 maintain the 0-0 score heading into the second half, and made crucial plays to keep the ball out of the back of the net.
Ten minutes into the second half, Grinnell found the back of the net, and less than three minutes later scored again. Santiago Gomez’28 and Colin Frank’27 attempted to score late in the second half, but neither were successful. Buccaneer defense continued to hold strong until the end of the heartbreaking game, with Escalera, Frank, and Julio Epting’28 holding down the backline.
Beloit has only a handful of seniors, so you can look forward to seeing the Bucs in the conference tournament again next year. Congratulations to the team on a hard fought season, and good luck next year!
Featured image: Keira Werner’29 (@keis_kamera on Instagram)
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