Business Administration • 2029
Bluefield University’s men’s soccer team concluded its 2026 season with a hard-fought 2-2 draw against Tennessee Wesleyan on Halloween, Saturday, October 31, at East River Soccer Complex. The Rams rallied twice, with Oli Gudjonsson finding the equalizer in the final minutes to finish the season on a positive note.
Tennessee Wesleyan struck first just 1:54 into the match when Francesco Conti scored off an assist from Jake Fisher. Bluefield responded in the 21st minute as Sebastian Armijos found the back of the net at 20:38 to even the score 1-1. The teams remained tied heading into halftime.
The Bulldogs regained the lead in the 56th minute when Fisher scored at 55:09, putting Tennessee Wesleyan ahead 2-1. Bluefield continued to battle despite facing a significant advantage in shots from the Bulldogs.
English • 2027
Bluefield University’s women’s soccer team has forfeited the rest of the 2026 season due to injuries, which include ACL tears, knee injuries, and ankle injuries. Athletics Director Corey Mullins explained the decision.
“Through the course of the preseason and into the first couple of matches of the season, we had some injuries and some other issues that we felt like it was not gonna be physically safe for our team to continue to play,” Corey Mullins said. “We just could not field a team . . . that was gonna be able to go out there every day and play for ninety minutes.”
The team played its first game against Reinhardt on September 14. Although the roster included 15 players, multiple girls were coming back from last year’s injuries and were not cleared to play. The team’s single sub was allowed to play only a short time because she also was coming back from an injury.
Business Administration • 2029
Bluefield University’s men’s soccer team struggled to contain Union Commonwealth on Wednesday afternoon, falling 12-0 at East River Soccer Complex on October 28.
The Rams kept the match competitive early, trailing 2-0 at halftime after the Bulldogs scored in the 14th and 38th minutes. However, Bluefield continued their tendency to let the second half get away from them, as the visitors broke the game open, scoring 10 goals to secure the victory.
Union Commonwealth opened the scoring with a goal from Diego Yanes Garcia in the 14th minute before Tom McDonald added another late in the first half. The Rams entered halftime facing a two-goal deficit despite goalkeeper Canaan Newman making several saves to keep the match within reach.
Business Administration • 2029
Bluefield University’s men’s soccer team fell to Truett McConnell University 5-0 on Saturday, October 24, at the TMU Soccer Complex in Cleveland, Georgia, as the Rams were unable to overcome an early deficit against one of the top teams in the Appalachian Athletic Conference.
Truett McConnell took control in the first half, scoring twice in a three-minute span. Jovica Lazarevic opened the scoring in the 22nd minute off an assist from Nacho Vaquero, before Pablo Farrona doubled the lead in the 24th minute, with Nick Jeising providing the assist.
Bluefield entered halftime trailing 2-0 and looked to get back into the match after the break. However, the Bears extended their advantage in the second half, adding three more goals to secure the shutout victory over the Rams.
Business Administration • 2029
Bluefield University’s men’s soccer team was unable to overcome a four-goal first half, falling 4-0 to Montreat College on Wednesday, October 21 at Pulliam Stadium in Black Mountain, North Carolina.
Montreat broke through in the 17th minute when Alejandro Hernandez scored the opening goal, assisted by Jared McCall and Emmanuel Ntimeh. The Cavaliers extended their lead with two goals from Ricardas Milasius, who scored in the 27th and 31st minutes to put Bluefield in a difficult position.
Montreat added its fourth goal just before halftime when Erikas Kvedaravicius converted a penalty kick in the 42nd minute.
Despite trailing by four goals at the break, the Rams showed improvement defensively in the second half, keeping Montreat off the scoreboard for the final 45 minutes.
Business Administration • 2029
Bluefield University’s men’s soccer team faced a difficult second half, allowing four goals after the break in a 5-0 loss to the University of Pikeville on Sunday, October 18 in Pikeville, Kentucky.
The Rams entered halftime trailing 1-0 after keeping the match competitive through the opening 45 minutes. However, Pikeville’s offense found another gear in the second half, scoring four times in a span of 10 minutes to pull away.
The match followed a pattern that has been a recurring challenge for Bluefield throughout the season. The Rams have often remained competitive during the first half, only to see opponents create separation at halftime. Against Pikeville, the one-goal deficit at the break left Bluefield within reach of a result, but the second-half scoring surge turned a competitive match into a lopsided defeat. The recurring difficulty of maintaining that first-half competitiveness for a full 90 minutes has been a defining issue for the Rams this season.
Business Administration • 2029
Bluefield University’s men’s soccer team struggled to generate scoring opportunities, Friday, October 16, falling 4-0 to Columbia College at East River Soccer Complex.
Columbia dominated the contest offensively, finishing with 27 shots, including 15 on goal. Bluefield managed three shots, including one on goal, as the Rams were unable to break through against the visiting defense.
The Rams kept the match close during the opening stages, but Columbia broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute. Carlos Vazquez scored off an assist from Matthias Dennis to give the Koalas a 1-0 advantage.
Bluefield goalkeeper Canaan Newman helped prevent the deficit from growing before halftime, making several saves as Columbia continued to attack. Newman finished the match with nine saves, keeping the Rams within striking distance despite the visitors’ offensive push.
