DEFIANCE, OHIO -- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology secured its sixth consecutive winning season in men's soccer with a 2-1 victory at Defiance College in the season finale on Saturday.
The Fightin' Engineers finished at 8-7-4 and would have qualified for the HCAC Tournament if Earlham College had defeated Franklin College on Saturday. The two teams played to a 1-1 draw.
Senior Mitch Buffington (O'Fallon, Ill.) scored both goals for the Engineers in the match.
Buffington scored on a penalty kick in the 82nd minute to snap a 1-1 tie. He scored in the 11th minute on an assist from junior Clint Vatterrodt (Bloomington, Ill./University) to give Rose-Hulman the early lead.
The Engineers outshot Defiance 20-8 in the match, with senior Andy Kruth (Cedar Park, Texas/Vista Ridge) picking up the victory in goal with four saves.
Buffington recorded a team-high six shots in the victory. Vatterrodt and senior Paul Bouagnon (Bloomington, Ill./University) contributed four shots each.
The match marked the final contest for 10 seniors that
combined to compile a 46-24-10 mark during their playing careers,
including a trip to the 2008 NCAA Division III Tournament.
The senior class also finished 26-3-4 in Heartland Collegiate
Athletic Conference play.
Rose-Hulman finished 8-7-4 overall and 5-2-2 in league play, while Defiance finished its season at 5-11-2.