Defiance, OH - Offensively, the Heidelberg University men’s soccer team has been guided by the feet of senior forward Ryan Smith (Roanoke, TX/Keller), but agaisnt Defiance College it was the efforts of a sophomore that earned the Berg a 1-0 victory. Tyler Eoff (Oak Harbor) had a stellar performance against the Yellow Jackets, as he netted the lone goal of the competition and pulled the Student Princes within a game of .500.
Eoff tallied seven shot for the contest, four of which were on goal. In the 44th minute, Smith served Eoff with a backwards pass in the box. Eoff booted the assist to the left upper 90 for his second goal of the season.
Smith added six shots to the Berg’s offensive attack along with fellow senior, Cole Tonti (Columbus/ St. Francis de Sales), who tallied three of his own.
The Heidelberg underclassmen had another brilliant outing. Sophomores Andrew Askren (Cincinnati/Mason) and Nico Samaneigo (Huron) recorded two shots each for the Student Princes. Hamid Shariff (Columbus/ Centennial) also tabbed one shot on goal for the match.
The freshmen quartet of Christopher Koczak (Springboro), Mitchell Papst (Ontario), Samuel Stone (North Royalton) and Ryan Homoki (Grafton/Midview) all accounted for one shot each for the Berg.
The Student Princes, as a unit, took a total of 25 shots, 17 of which came in the first half.
The Heidelberg defense had an impressive performance as sophomore Matthew Stevens (South Lyon, MI) saw only three shots from the Yellow Jackets. Stevens earned the first shutout of his career.
The Heidelberg men step on to the pitch again on Wednesday, September 26, to face off against the Bearcats of Saint Vincent College. Kickoff from Latrobe, PA is scheduled for 3:30.