The men’s soccer team took on Trine University on a cloudy Saturday at Strong Stadium last week. The game saw a standout performance from goalkeeper David Staats’28, and a team that refused to go down without a fight.
The first half was mainly spent on Beloit’s side of the pitch, but the Bucs defense held strong, with Marco Jijon’29 preventing an early Trine goal in the tenth minute. This was followed by two incredible saves from goalkeeper Staats, who flattened out, grabbing a ball straight out of the top corner for what many thought was a sure goal. Jijon wasn’t the only defender who was committed, with Hunter Nelson’28 putting up a good block toward the end of the first half. Unfortunately for Beloit, an error proved to be costly when the Thunder took advantage of an open net in the 34th minute, making the score 1-0. This did not deter the fighting Bucs, who put up two more shots before the half finished.
With the second half underway, Beloit’s mission was clear, and it reflected in their play, with the team taking 12 shots throughout the half. The second half had its struggles, including an exciting three goal line clearances from Beloit’s defense. Despite the Bucs’ best efforts, Trine closed the door with a second goal in the dying moments of the game, ending in a 2-0 loss for Beloit.
Though this wasn’t the result they hoped for, the team still feels optimistic. “I feel like there are a lot of things we learned,” said midfielder Diego Escobar’30. “[T]owards the end, there were like five freshmen on the field, and it really shows that this team has a lot of potential.” Striker Pearce St. John echoed Escobar’s sentiment. “I feel like we just got really unlucky. If we can put them away next time, it should be a different result.”
You can catch the Bucs at their next home game on Sept. 13 vs. Lakeland University at 1 p.m. at Strong Stadium.
Featured image: Kayla Wolff
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