Men's Soccer Wrap-Up Purple and Gold Classic with Westminster Loss

DEFIANCE, OHIO - The Defiance College men's soccer team took on a talented Westminster Titans squad on Sunday and fell by a final score of 4-1. 

The highly physical match saw the two teams deadlocked into the 20th minute when Westminster broke the tie. A ball played into the box was pushed onto the crossbar by freshman goalkeeper Harrison Hirth (Lapeer, Mich. / Lapeer) and the rebound was headed home by an attacking Titan. Westminster struck two more times in the first half to take a 3-0 lead into halftime.

Head Coach Jordan Valentine's Yellow Jackets came out with a renewed energy in the second half and were able to pull one back in the 70th minute when sophomore Hunter Kauffman (St. Paris / Graham) slipped a ball into Juan Olvera (West Lafayette, Ind. / Harrison). Olvera then played a pass onto Christian Meister (Ontario / Ontario) who finished the shot. The goal saw Meister's season goal tally rise to two in as many games. 

Defensively, Hirth and sophomore Aden Gariety (Celina / Celina) split time in the net, each playing one half for the purple and gold. Hirth made three saves and Gariety added another two for DC. 

Sunday's contest wraps up the men's portion of the 2018 Purple and Gold Classic. Defiance finished with a 1-1 record, Penn St. Beaver finishes 0-2, and Westminster wraps up with a 2-0 record. 

The Yellow Jackets will be in action again on Tuesday, 9/4 as they play host to Trine University for a 4:00 pm kickoff.