BELLEVUE, Neb. — Dakota Wesleyan University Men's Soccer traveled south to face the 24th-ranked Bellevue Bruins in an out-of-conference contest ahead of the final week of the regular season.
Both teams displayed elite defensive play early on, with neither team giving up a goal in the first half. Joseph Valler got the start in the goal for the Tigers, and he recorded three saves during the contest. He got help in the backline from Colin Burke, who recorded a full 90 minutes of playtime on the pitch. Both teams were limited in their scoring opportunities, with DWU recording three shots to Bellevue's four in the first half, along with corner kicks and other positioning advantages coming at a premium on both ends of the pitch. Even with the added offensive efforts of Luis Waeschle late in the half, the Tigers were not able to capitalize, heading into the half tied at 0-0.
The break gave both teams the chance to reevaluate their offensive strategies, which were on full display to start the second half. The Bruins found the first goal of the game in the first 64 seconds of the second half, and followed it up six minutes later with a second connection on the Tigers' net to go up 2-0. The Tigers remained steady, however, punching in their first goal of the game less than five minutes after the Bruins claimed a two-goal lead, as AJ Bowman punched in an unassisted score to bring it back within a point. Bowman led DWU offensively with three total shots throughout the match. Dakota Wesleyan tied the game up in the 63rd minute as Coben Colson connected on a rebounded shot that was initially sent by Lewis Cunningham, bringing the score to 2-2. The match slowed down after DWU tied it back up, but both teams continued to look for scoring opportunities. The Tigers held steady until the 87th minute, which saw Bellevue go up 3-2 on the contest's final goal, securing the win for the Bruins. The Tigers, following the loss, move to 7-9-1 overall in 2025, and 5-3-1 in conference play.
DWU Men's Soccer will be back in action for Senior Day, as it closes out its regular season against the Morningside Mustangs on Wednesday, October 29th, at 5:00 PM. See the full 2025 schedule here.