Defiance College is defeated 3-0 by the Cougars Thursday in gritty battle

DEFIANCE, Ohio - Defiance College men's soccer opened its season at Winsper-Knobel Memorial Field on Thursday against the St. Francis Cougars. Despite a stealth defensive performance, the Yellow Jackets ultimately dropped the match 3-0. 

After nine aggressive minutes of play, the Cougars took a 1-0 lead and things began getting chippy on the field. Just past the 18-minute mark, Defiance's Quinn Holtzapple was given a yellow card, which was then proceeded by a second St. Francis goal as tensions were high. With a slim advantage, the Cougars continued to fight for their lead against the Yellow Jackets. In the first half, both teams combined for 15 fouls and a pair of yellow cards flew for either team in the span of two minutes at 33:11 and 34:29, respectively. In his starting-goalkeeper debut, DC's Tyler Harper stood his ground with four saves and six shots-on-goal faced. 

DC stood strong behind the defense of Brent Rader, Holtzapple and Macen Kos until the 63rd minute when the Cougars executed a distraction on Harper to cement their third and final goal. 

A CLOSER LOOK

• Tyler Harper made his first start in goal. He notched 11 saves and faced 14 shots-on-goal.

• Quinn Holtzapple took six shots – the most of his DC career in a single game.

• Oscar Olivier, who missed most of the preseason, had two shots of his own. 

• Kendahl Stanley earned his first collegiate start as a true freshman.

• Diego Suarez and Sebastian Berrio accrued their first collegiate minutes. 

• Seven yellow cards were allotted between the teams; five to the visitors and two to Defiance.

UP NEXT

The Yellow Jackets are set to take on the Taylor Trojans Saturday at Winsper-Knobel Memorial Field. The match will follow the women's game and is scheduled to begin at approximately 4 p.m. 

-JACKETS-