Anderson Pulls Away from Bluffton

The Anderson University men's soccer team pulled away from Bluffton University in the second half to lock up a 2-0 victory during Sunday's Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) contest in Bluffton, Ohio.

Both teams remained tied at 0-0 at halftime. The Ravens (7-6-2, 4-0-2) received scoring contributions from first-time goal scorers Art Hinton IV (Indianapolis, Ind. / Covenant Christian) and Matthew Murray (Indianapolis, Ind. / Pike) in the second half. Anderson has put together its first four-match winning streak since 2016 and its first four-match conference winning streak since the Ravens compiled an eight-match winning streak that carried into the 2014 season.

"I'm very proud of our response in the second half," Coach Scott Fridley said. "We had moments of brilliance. We seem to have a different player every game step up for us. That team is so difficult to keep out of the goal and they are so well coached. I am happy for the boys as they continue to battle through the HCAC."

Bluffton (7-5, 3-3) found a couple of good looks in the 14th minute. The Beavers took a corner kick, which was sent back out to Jackson Clark. Clark fired a rocket from about 20 yards out at the top of the box, but Danny Moro-Medina (Goshen, Ind. / Goshen) came up with the save. Maxwell Kennedy took a second consecutive corner kick, but Moro-Medina swatted the ball out of the box. The Beavers took another opportunity in the 40th minute. Kennedy served a free kick to Elijah Zimmerman, but his header went just right of the goal.

Anderson broke the tie with the Beavers in the 61st minute. Victor Silva (Paramount, Calif. / St. Matthias Catholic) took the ball to just above the top-right corner of the 18-yard box before making the pass to Hinton IV. Hinton IV took a dribble forward and drilled a shot from about 30 yards away for a goal. Silva received the assist.

During the 77th minute, the Ravens took the ball upfield quickly following an intercept. Murray made a header pass to Silva and Silva then made the pass back to Murray. Both players continued to advance upfield and Murray finished the score to make it a 2-0 game. Silva recorded his second assist of the day. Moro-Medina made some critical saves in the second half to keep the shutout intact.

Anderson outshot Bluffton 24-9 and held a 9-5 advantage in shots on goal. Drew Vaughn (Beavercreek, Ohio / Beavercreek) led the Ravens with five shots and four shots on goal. In addition to two assists, Silva provided three shots and two shots on goal. Jordan Bossman (Gahanna, Ohio / Westerville North) tallied three shots. Murray notched two shots and one shot on goal. Stephen Fite (Cincinnati, Ohio / Homeschool), Caleb Gonser (Terre Haute, Ind. / Terre Haute South) and Usman Kamara (Indianapolis, Ind. / Franklin Central) contributed two shots apiece. Hinton IV and Caleb Opoku (Columbus, Ohio / Worthington) each put their only shots on frame. Cameron Beadle (Terre Haute, Ind. / North Vigo) and Sam Rowlison (Fishers, Ind. / Hamilton Southeastern) each added shots.

Moro-Medina recorded a shutout, saving each of the four shots he faced. Vaughn also produced a team save. Hinton IV, Brayden Humbert (Brownsburg, Ind. / Brownsburg) and Vaughn each shared the team lead in steals with two while Gonser and Vaughn shared the team lead in intercepts with two.

Anderson clashes with Manchester University (6-7-1, 3-3) on Wednesday in HCAC action on Senior Day at 3 p.m. at Fridley Field.