LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Earlham College men's soccer team fell 3-2 in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship at Transylvania University on Saturday afternoon.
The Pioneers took the lead with a goal in the 23rd minute, and headed into the halftime break with a 1-0 lead. Transylvania added a pair of goals in the 61st and 63rd minutes to take a 3-0 lead.
Undeterred, the Quakers fought back in the closing minutes of the match.
Rhoi Phulusa scored an unassisted goal in the 74th minute of play to put the Quakers on the board.
Markku Laukkanen then scored in the 86th minute to keep the Quakers in it until the end.
Earlham was outshot 17-9 in the match, and trailed 9-4 in shots on goal.
Levi Smith led the team with three shots.
In goal,
Ryland Wamsley collected six saves.
After the match, three Quakers were named to the all-tournament team.
Luke Hamaker scored four goals in the tournament, including both goals in a 2-1 win at Anderson to start the run.
Mason Paul played all 288 minutes of the tournament in the Quaker midfield with one goal and one assist.
Sawyer Sheetz also tallied 288 minutes in the tournament, and anchored a Quaker defense that held the top teams in the conference to just 1.66 goals per game.
Earlham ends its season with a 9-7-4 record. The Quakers made the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament for the first time since 2015, and played for the tournament championship for the first time since 2013.
