Men's Soccer Picks Up Key Road Victory

DEFIANCE, OHIO - The Defiance College men's soccer team hit the road for a contest with fellow 3-2 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference side Manchester. The Yellow Jackets came back to Defiance with a 3-1 victory over the Spartans to bolster their HCAC record. 

It did not take long for Defiance to open up the score sheet. In just the 6th minute Luca DeMartino (Mequon, Wisc. / Homestead) found the back of the net from an Adam Ordel (Lima / Elida) pass. The freshman got momentum rolling for the Purple and Gold with his fourth goal of the 2018 campaign. Roughly 30 minutes later Head Coach Jordan Valentine's squad doubled their lead by way of a Jarren Casto (Celina) goal.

The Spartans were able to cut the deficit to one in the 43rd minute as the loan Manchester goal of the match found it's way into Clay Musgrave's (Upper Sandusky / Upper Sandusky) net, but the visitors were keen to see the remaining 45 minutes out for the victory. 

The second half did not see much action in the way of scoring as the sides battled through the cold. The sides combined for 12 shots in the second 45 minutes, but one was crucial for the Purple and Gold. In the 84th minute Christian Meister (Ontario / Ontario) found the back of the Spartan net by way of a penalty kick to seal the 3-1 victory for the Yellow Jackets. Meister's seventh goal of the season ties his career high, and moves him into a tie for third on the HCAC leaderboard with three games remaining. 

Defensively, Musgrave tallied four saves on the day, bumping his season mark to 70, good enough for second place on the HCAC saves chart. 

With the win, Defiance moves to a 4-2 mark in HCAC play, jumping them into third place in the conference for the time being. The 4-2 start is the best start to conference play since 2013 for the Yellow Jackets. 

Defiance is next in action Saturday, October 20th as they host Mt. St. Joseph at 3:30 pm. The match will also include senior day festivities for the Yellow Jacket men's soccer side.