Box Score BOX SCORE

SALT LAKE CITY – The Westminster College men's soccer team fought through the rain before falling to No. 8 Kansas Wesleyan, 3-1, on Friday evening at Dumke Field.  The game featured a 30-minute delay for lightning in the first half and was played in persistent rain for much of the evening.

The loss drops the Griffins to 4-4 overall and snaps a three-game home winning streak.  Kansas Wesleyan improves to 4-1 with the victory.

The teams were scoreless before a lightning strike forced a delay of the action in the 36th minute.  Kansas Wesleyan got a goal from Jacob DeLeon less than two minutes after the game resumed.  DeLeon collected a deflected cross and put his shot in the net with a bicycle kick.  The lead would grow to 2-0 in the 57th minute when Alex Chavez finished a cross from Eduardo Barba.  Chavez was all alone with the Westminster keeper Nathan Young and slid the shot inside the far post.

Westminster would continue to attack in the wet conditions and Dennis Sellis would draw a foul in the penalty area in the 62nd minute.  Ryan Beck put the penalty shot inside the left post for his first goal of the season.  Kansas Wesleyan sealed the victory in the 88th minute as Jose Velasco chipped a shot that Young could only deflect into the net for a 3-1 Coyote lead.

Westminster managed just six shots in the game and the only shot on frame was the penalty kick.  The Griffins took just two corner kicks to the eight by KWU while being whistled for 10 fouls. 

Sellis recorded three shots with Beck posting two.  Sean Aslett recorded the only other shot by a Griffin.  Young made five saves while suffering the loss.

Westminster will return to action on Saturday when they host Frontier Conference rival Great Falls.  The action begins at 4 p.m. at Dumke Field.