Henderson, Loftis Strike in Shutout HCAC Victory

DEFIANCE, Ohio – The Yellow Jacket men's soccer team needed a win over Bluffton University on Wednesday afternoon to keep any hope of reaching the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference playoffs alive. Goals from sophomore Jaiden Henderson and senior Joe Loftis kept DC in the postseason hunt.

Defiance understood what was at stake and wasted little time getting on the scoreboard when Henderson sprinted past the Bluffton defenders and outmaneuvered the keeper for a wide open goal scoring opportunity. Henderson calmly slid his shot on the ground into the right side netting giving the Jackets the early 1-0 lead.

Despite scoring early, the Purple and Gold were unable to distance itself from the Beavers as neither team scored for the remainder of the first stanza. The Jackets outshot Bluffton in the half by a total of 9-4.

The Jackets clung to their 1-0 lead until Loftis gave the team some breathing room in the 75th minute. Senior defender Kevin Elson's throw in fell to Loftis who ripped from the top a shot from the top left of the box that bent into the bottom left side of the goal. The score gave Loftis the team lead in goals on the season with six and more importantly Defiance a 2-0 win.

The Yellow Jackets' conference record now stands at 3-3-2 on the season.

The victory keeps DC in the thick of the HCAC playoff race heading into its final game of the season, which is on the road against Rose-Hulman on Saturday, October 29. The match is slated to begin at 3:00 p.m.