Box Score LEXINGTON, KY.—Five second half goals propelled the Transylvania University men's soccer team to a 5-0 victory over Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference opponent Bluffton University on a rain-soaked afternoon at Pat Deacon Stadium.
After playing the first 45 minutes of action to a 0-0 tie, the teams broke from halftime and the Pioneers exploded offensively, creating a seemingly endless number of opportunities. Transy broke the scoreless tie in the 54th minute when senior defender Tate Spivey took a pass from midfielder Matt Melzer and wove his way through the middle of the Beavers' defense and buries a shot in the bottom left corner to put Transylvania on top 1-0.
Five minutes later, it was midfielder Kevin Carroll who extended the Pioneers' lead, taking an assist from fellow midfielder Riley Calhoon and finding the back of the net for a goal. Transylvania would continue to press forward, looking to build on their advantage and would do just that at the 74:40 mark when midfielder Jonathan Rase scored to give the Pioneers a three-goal advantage.
Rase scored his second goal of the match six minutes later, this time taking an assist from midfielder Freddie Siegleman off the left wing and driving the ball past the outstretched arms of the Beavers' goalkeeper to make the score 4-0. As time was winding down, Siegelman scored a goal of his own with one second remaining in the contest to give the Pioneers their final advantage, 5-0.
Transy dominated all aspects of the game, generating a total of 25 shots in the contest while limiting Bluffton to just three. A strong defensive performance from the Pioneers allowed the Beavers to put just one of those attempts on goal, and that shot was saved by senior goalkeeper Cody Waltrip.
The win for Transylvania (7-3-6, 4-1-2 HCAC) helped solidify their position as they push to make the HCAC tournament. They currently sit in third place with two regular season games left; the top four teams will earn a bid to the tournament. The Pioneers return to action on Wednesday with a home match against Hanover slated to begin at 7:00pm.
