Defiance Grabs First Win of Season in HCAC Opener

CINCINNATI, Ohio – It was a long time coming for the DC men's soccer team, but the squad finally earned its first win of the season as it defeated the Mount St. Joseph Lions 1-0 on a Kevin Arriola goal in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference opener.

In this match, the Yellow Jackets did something they had not done all season, which was taking the lead. Through 10 games, DC had never been ahead in a match, as it was constantly playing from behind.

But seven minutes into the road match, sophomore forward Kevin Arriola drilled a DC goal to go up 1-0 early. The score was Arriola's team leading third on the season.

The Yellow Jackets kept the heat on the Lions after the goal, by notching five shots at the net over the next 12 minutes of play. But Mount's defense held strong and created some opportunities for the offense, as MSJ racked up five shots and two corner kicks over the rest of the half.

Fortunately for DC, the Lions could not convert on any of their attempts and the Jackets went into intermission with the 1-0 advantage.

Then in the second period, it was all about holding onto the slim lead, as Defiance packed it in and did whatever it could to keep MSJ out of the goal. After out-shooting Mount in the first half 8-to-7, the Lions responded with seven shots in the second period to the Jackets two.

However, on the day MSJ was only 1-of-14 in shots on goal and that was exactly what DC needed, as the Jackets held on to the lead and pulled out their first victory of the year. Defiance ups its record to 1-10 (1-0 HCAC), while the Lions drop to 2-7-1 (1-0 HCAC).

DC will travel to Richmond, Ind. on Wednesday, October 3 in its next match against the Earlham Quakers. The game is set to kickoff at 4 p.m.