FRANKLIN, IN — Transylvania men's soccer secured a share of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference regular season championship Tuesday night with a commanding 6-1 victory over Franklin College at Faught Stadium. The Pioneers erupted for four first-half goals to secure the win and clinch the HCAC regular season co-championship alongside Hanover College.
Transylvania established its offensive presence early, with McKay Wheatley forcing a save from Franklin goalkeeper Austin Horner in the fourth minute. The Pioneers broke through in the 14th minute when Gus Dickman found the back of the net off an assist from Wheatley to give Transylvania a 1-0 advantage.
The Pioneers continued to apply pressure throughout the opening half. Nick Haskins and Joany Chavez each recorded shots on goal before Charles Nichols doubled the lead in the 23rd minute, scoring off another assist from Wheatley to make it 2-0. Less than five minutes later, Stone Work added an unassisted goal in the 28th minute to extend the advantage to 3-0.
Transylvania continued its offensive surge in the 34th minute when Konrad Polit scored off Wheatley's third assist of the evening, giving the Pioneers a commanding 4-0 lead. Franklin generated several opportunities late in the half, including an attempt from Ian Cardona that struck the crossbar in the 36th minute. Ethan Drew made a save on Jacobo Alarcon's attempt in the 44th minute to preserve the shutout heading into halftime. Transylvania held an 11-4 advantage in shots through the opening 45 minutes.
The Pioneers carried their offensive momentum into the second half, creating several opportunities to extend the lead. Work forced a save in the 50th minute before Aiden Byrd and Dickman each tested Horner. Polit struck again in the 63rd minute, scoring his second goal of the evening off an assist from Byrd to push Transylvania's advantage to 5-0.
Franklin answered in the 80th minute when Lane Trump scored off assists from Enzo Crivari and Maximilian Last to cut the deficit to 5-1. Transylvania responded in the closing minutes as Stephane Bebe found the back of the net in the 87th minute to cap the scoring and secure the 6-1 victory.
With the victory, Transylvania secured a share of the HCAC regular season championship alongside Hanover College. Transylvania is set to face off against the Winner of Game 1 at Pat Deacon Stadium on Tuesday at 7 PM.
Transylvania University is a proud member of NCAA Division III and the HCAC. To keep up to date with all of Transylvania Athletics, check out our website at transysports.com and follow @TransySports on Instagram.
