Saint Francis Battles No. 5 Bethel
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
#5 Bethel (Ind.) (8-1-2, 2-0-1) | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|
Saint Francis (Ind.) (3-8-1, 1-2-0) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The University of Saint Francis (Ind.) men's soccer team battled against No. 5 Bethel (Ind.) on Wednesday, October 1. The Cougars came up short in a 3-1 decision at Bishop John M. D'Arcy Stadium.
The Cougars fell behind early as Bethel's Julian Vargas Talamantes broke through in the 9th minute to put the Pilots ahead 1-0. SF's defense held firm for the remainder of the half, with goalkeeper Kevin Wachiaya Onelius making several key saves to keep the margin at one.
After the break, Bethel extended its advantage with goals from Lucas Lima in the 53rd minute and Dani Suarez in the 72nd. Saint Francis responded late, as Quinn Clayton found the back of the net in the 84th minute, assisted by Henning Bundschuh and Joshua Jelany, cutting the deficit to 3-1. The Cougars pushed for another but were unable to close the gap.
Onelius finished with eight saves in goal, while Clayton's strike marked his first goal of the season. Saint Francis registered 11 shots, seven on frame, testing Bethel keeper Maarten Schouten, who collected six saves.
With the result, Saint Francis moves to 3-8-1 (1-2-0 CL), while Bethel improves to 8-1-2 (2-0-1 CL).
The Cougars will look to bounce back when they return to action in Crossroads League play at home this Saturday against Mount Vernon Nazarene at 5:00 p.m.
Founded in 1890 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition, the University of Saint Francis offers more than 60 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs through the College of Health Sciences and the College of Arts, Sciences, and Business. In addition to its traditional programs, Saint Francis designs focused curricula for working adults in Fort Wayne, Crown Point, Lafayette and online. Saint Francis Downtown houses the music technology program while offering enhanced internship and networking opportunities for students. The University of Saint Francis, recognized as an NAIA Five-Star Champion of Character institution, has 21 athletic programs boasting two individual and four team NAIA national championships. More than 1,900 students from a broad geographic region attend Saint Francis.
