Bluffton Tops Defiance

DEFIANCE, OHIO – Defiance College scored first, but could not hold on for the win against rival Bluffton as the Yellow Jackets fell to the Beavers, 4-2, in a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference game at Winsper-Knobel Memorial Field.

DC (2-13-1, 0-5-1 HCAC) started off fast against Bluffton (4-10-1, 1-4-1 HCAC).  Less than five minutes into the game, Erica Islas (Lockhart, Texas/Lockhart) found Kassie Memmer (Bowling Green, Ohio/Bowling Green) for her third goal of the season to lead 1-0.

Bluffton found the equalizer 13 minutes later to tie things up at 1-1 at the 17:25 mark.  Later in the opening period, Bluffton took the lead off a corner kick during the 31st minute.  DC nearly tied it up right before half when Lindsay Bubnick (Vandalia/Butler) took a shot on goal that was stopped by Bluffton's goalie, but the ball stayed loose.  Ashton King (Quincy, Mich./Quincy) secured the rebound and took a shot of her own that just sailed wide left.  The two teams would go into intermission with Bluffton holding the 2-1 advantage.

Islas and Memmer again hooked up to do damage for the DC offense.  This time Memmer put a nicely placed through ball to Islas for the goal.  It was the junior's second goal of the season.  The score was once again tied up, this time at 2-2 with thirty minutes remaining.  The two teams battled back-and-forth until the 75th minute when Bluffton broke through for the game winning goal.  They added an insurance goal with seven minutes remaining in the game for the final 4-2 score.

June Delgreco (Dearborn Heights, Mich./Crestwood) played all 90 minutes and added six more saves to her season total.

The Yellow Jackets have three games left with their next game scheduled for Saturday (Oct. 25) when they face the College of Mount St. Joseph at home in a HCAC matchup.  Start time is set for 1 pm.