BELOIT, Wis. – The Beloit College Buccaneers faced off against the UW.-Stevens Point Pointers this afternoon, at Strong Soccer Field. The hard-fought match that saw the Pointers (7-1-1, 0-0-0 WIAC) ultimately emerge with a narrow 2-1 victory. Despite the result, the Buccaneers (3-4-2, 0-0-0 MWC) demonstrated resilience and a strong defensive effort, particularly in the first half.

From the outset, Beloit's goalkeeper, David Staats (Meridian, ID), was a busy man, making a total of 12 saves throughout the match, with 8 coming in the first half alone. His impressive performance kept the Buccaneers in the game, repeatedly denying UW-Stevens Point's numerous attempts on goal.

The first half saw the Pointers take the lead with a goal in the 17th minute. Beloit's defense, led by Staats, held firm against 11 shots from UW-Stevens Point in the first 45 minutes, allowing only that single goal. The Buccaneers, meanwhile, managed 5 shots of their own in the first half, with Rafael Cervantes Jr. (Dallas, TX) and Eduardo Larsen Reyes (Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia) forcing saves from the Pointers' keeper, Jacob Havlik.

As the second half unfolded, the Buccaneers continued to push. Despite another goal UW.-Stevens Point in the 76th minute, Beloit never gave up. Their persistence paid off in the 83rd minute when Daniel Varela Norniella (Gijou, Spain) used his head to find the back of the net, assisted by Matteo Jijon (Wilmette, IL), bringing the score to 2-1 and injecting a late surge of hope for the home team.

While the Buccaneers outshot the Pointers in the second half by a margin of 3-12, indicating their offensive pressure, they ultimately couldn't find the equalizer. The match concluded with Wis.-Stevens Point claiming the 2-1 victory.

The Buccaneers get a much needed break after four games in eight days. They won't return to the pitch until Saturday, September 27th on the road at Monmouth. The match marks the first Midwest Conference (MWC) match of the season.