Ravens Fall to Beavers in HCAC Tournament

The third-seeded Anderson University men's soccer team fell to sixth-seeded Bluffton University by a score of 1-0 during the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) Tournament quarterfinals on Saturday at Macholtz Stadium.

Elijah Zimmerman found the back of the net for the Beavers (9-7) in the 10th minute after finishing a scramble for the ball.

Anderson (8-9-2) outshot Bluffton by a 10-6 margin.

Stephen Fite (Cincinnati, Ohio/Homeschool) contributed three shots and two shots on goal. Victor Silva (Paramount, Calif. / St. Matthias Catholic) put both of his shots on frame. Drew Vaughn (Beavercreek, Ohio / Beavercreek) recorded two shots and one shot on goal. Sam Rowlison (Fishers, Ind. / Hamilton Southeastern) registered one shot and one shot on goal. Jordan Bossman (Gahanna, Ohio / Westerville North) and Caleb Gonser (Terre Haute, Ind. / Terre Haute South) each added shots to round out Anderson's 10 shots.

Zimmerman produced two shots and one shot on goal for the Beavers. Jackson Clark tallied two shots. Jacob Kiger put his only shot on frame. Benjamin Davidson turned in a shot to round out Bluffton's six shots.

Angel Velasco-Urbina posted a six-save shutout for the Beavers.

Danny Moro-Medina (Goshen, Ind. / Goshen) saw two shots and came up with one save. Jaxon Gillig (Carmel, Ind. / Carmel) and Vaughn shared the team lead of two intercepts apiece for the Ravens. Vaughn led the Ravens with three steals while Dalton Grubbs (Carmel, Ind. / Carmel) produced two steals.

After taking 10th in the Spring 2021 HCAC standings, Anderson captured third in the HCAC Fall 2021 regular-season standings with a 5-2-2 conference record.

"I am of course disappointed by the early exit in the tournament, but I am extremely happy with the turnaround and the third-place finish by this team," Coach Scott Fridley said. "I think we learned a lot this year and look forward to the turn of the year. I think this team has a lot of wins in it going forward and look forward to their continued drive and work ethic. We will get better and keep learning. We will strive for consistency and keep moving forward. I really like this team."