The Moody Bible Institute men’s soccer team moves to 6-6 on the year following a 1-1 weekend in Michigan against NCCAA opposition. On Friday, the Archers fell to #3 Grace Christian University, 4-0, before beating Great Lakes Christian College on Saturday, 11-0.
On Friday, Grace and Moody played evenly through the first half. Freshman goalkeeper Kaden McCloughan made a diving save to his left in the 25th minute to keep the game scoreless. Junior striker Will Snyder had a great chance saved by the Grace goalkeeper after a through ball from senior midfielder Liam Clinch. Despite quality chances from both sides, the score remained 0-0 at the half.
Grace opened the scoring early in the second half, with a fantastic individual effort, dribbling through the Moody defense. The Archers came close to equalizing on several occasions, the closest on a freekick from senior midfielder Dani Martinez. The shot hit the bottom of the crossbar, bouncing down just outside of the goal. Despite the Archers’ continued attempts, Grace would score the next goal, in the 63rd minute. McCloughan would leave the game with a shoulder injury after a strong challenge for an aerial ball with a Grace striker. Grace would add two more goals in the last few minutes to seal the win. Grace ended up outshooting the Archers 14-12 on the day.
“This was a tough game for us – we played really well in moments and deserved a lot more from the game,” said Coach Jon Forsythe. “It was very difficult to see Kaden go down, and watching an injury like that was tough for our team to get past, psychologically. I’m proud of the effort our guys put forth, and if we are a little more clinical in our finishing, it would have been a totally different game.”
The Archers recovered strongly on Saturday, with an 11-0 win over Great Lakes Christian College. Senior midfielder Dani Martinez led the team with a hat trick. Seniors Ben Worley, Jared Weix and Micah Waweru each added 2 goals. Junior striker Will Snyder and freshman midfielder Logan Morse added a goal each.
The Archers are back in action on Thursday hosting Andrews University in a 3pm kickoff.