Men's Soccer Edged Out, 2-1, by First-Place Pioneers

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The men's soccer team had the first-place Pioneers on the ropes with a 1-0 lead in the second half, but Transylvania rallied to claim the 2-1 win at home, and stay undefeated in the conference. Defiance falls to 1-3-1 in the HCAC and 5-7-2 overall with the loss.

The Yellow Jackets neutralized Transylvania's top-ranked offense in the first half, and took a 1-0 lead early in the second period when Joseph Loftis capitalized on a penalty-kick for his fourth goal of the season. It was a short-lived advantage however, as TU's Kyle Smith tied the game, 1-1, just six minutes later.

Transylvania would take the lead in the 66th minute on a goal from Peter Mikhail, and it proved to be the game winner after neither team could find the net for the remainder of the game. The Jackets were credited with just two shots in the game, marking their lowest shot total of the season by a wide margin.  

Defiance sits in seventh place in the HCAC standings with four games left on the regular season schedule. Goalkeeper, Sean Roberts, recorded six saves in the contest, and remains second in the conference with 92 saves this season.

Defiance will return home to host conference newcomer, Earlham College (6-7, 3-1 HCAC), on Wednesday, October 20, at 4:00 p.m.