The men’s soccer team was back in action Tuesday, Oct. 6, falling short against Marian University 3-2, after dropping their game the past Saturday against Huntington in overtime.

Last Saturday, Oct., 3, the Maple Leaf men’s soccer team traveled to Huntington to take on the Foresters after their tie in double overtime to Bethel two weeks prior.

The game started slow, but picked up steam starting in the second half after a Forester goal from Pablo Garcia. The Maple Leafs managed to fight back and grab a goal by Lucas Bontreger in the 54th minute.

The game then remained scoreless before going into overtime, when the Foresters came away with the victory after a goal in the 99th minute by Jordan Morris, ending the game in favor of Huntington 2-1.

The Maple Leafs left Huntington 0-1-1, after another heartbreaking scoreless overtime.

On Tuesday, Goshen looked to bounce back in their home game against Marian. Very similar to the game at Huntington, the game remained scoreless in the first half, but it was the Maple Leafs who struck first off a goal by Stuart Aeschliman in the 46th minute.

The lead didn’t stay for long, as the Knights battled back scoring once in the 56th minute off a goal from Jalen Rice, and then again in the 61st minute on a goal from Chad Williams. 

The Maple Leafs did not give up as they battled back and with only one minute and fifty seconds left, Aeschliman managed to score his second goal of the night to tie the game at two goals each.

The Knights made quick work of the Maple Leafs in overtime, scoring the winning goal one minute and eighteen seconds into the overtime period, lifting them to a 3-2 victory on Goshen College’s home field.

Junior midfielder Tristan Smucker spoke on the team’s early struggles by quoting head coach Victor Newberg. 

“He [coach] said, ‘Tonight yes, I am disappointed with the result, but I’m not discouraged of where the team is headed going forward,’” Smucker said, “‘As a team, we just need to limit our mistakes on the defensive side and keep up what we’re doing on the offensive side of the game. All we need is a jump start, and once we get going, I believe it will be hard to stop us.’”

Despite having more shots than their opponents in their past two games, outshooting Huntington 15-9 and outshooting Marian 16-13, the Maple Leafs remain winless.

The Maple Leafs have a very quick turn around as they look to bounce back with a victory in their next game against Grace College this Thursday, Oct. 8.

Looking ahead for the Maple Leafs, they are set to take on Taylor University on Oct. 10, and University of Saint Francis on Oct. 14. Those two games will mark the midway point in their season as they take on the Bethel Pilots for a second time on Oct. 17.