The Beloit College men's soccer team opened the season with a thrilling 2-1 victory over Carroll University at the Strong Stadium Complex Wednesday afternoon. The win was the perfect welcome for the Buccaneers new head coach,
Brad Williams, who took over the program just weeks ago.
The Bucs pressed the entire contest pushing the pace and stifling the Pioneers' offensive flow. That pressure paid off in the 32nd minute as
Brandon Joly won a ball just passed midfield and beat the nearest defender to set up a one-on-one situation against the Carroll keeper. A fantastic touch had the keeper off balance and Joly used his left to find the lower corner of the net to put the Bucs on the board.
The Pioneers garnered more possession in the second half peppering the Beloit defense with offensive opportunities. Carroll was able to capitalize on just one of their 17 shots to tally the equalizer in the 63rd minute.
With a new game at hand, the Bucs got back to what was working in the first half, pressure. Pushing forward, Beloit drew a barrage of fouls on the Carroll defense including one that occurred in the box leading to a penalty kick. Beloit's
Conor Waldron took the kick and blasted the ball into the lower left corner as the Pioneer keeper dove right to give the Bucs a 2-1 lead in the 84th minute.
The Bucs perfectly executed the final five minutes, getting the ball to the corner to run time off of the clock. A couple of cards, some fouls and a shot that flew high for Carroll took up the final five minutes as Beloit secured their first win of the 2021 season.
Brock Bidwell captained the Beloit defense tallying six saves in the complete game in goal for the Bucs.
Next Up: The Bucs will host Maranatha Baptist Saturday, September 4 at 11 a.m. at the Strong Stadium Complex in Beloit.
