On Saturday Oct. 7, the Blackburn men’s and women’s soccer teams took to the field in hopes of adding one to their win columns against St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) opponent, Webster University.
In the first game of the double header, the men paid tribute to the men in blue for a “Back the Badge” match. Prior to the match, officers and deputies from the Carlinville Police Department, as well as the Illinois State Police, were honored and celebrated for their service.
Shortly after the match got underway, the skies opened up, making for a rain-filled day. Throughout the game, the weather played a large part in the relatively low-scoring affair. Players slipped and struggled to gain their footing. Both teams fought passed the challenge and focused on the task at hand. Despite the fast pace and high energy displayed by both Blackburn and Webster, the teams remained scoreless in the first half.
The theme of the first half continued in the second, and the game remained scoreless until the 70th minute when Webster’s David Allred found the back of the net. Just five minutes later, the Gorloks struck again, taking a 2-0 lead.
With time ticking away for Blackburn, the team kept fighting in hopes of drawing close in the late minutes of the match. With under four minutes to go, Jordan Allen was able to do just that. After a foul against Webster, Allen earned a free kick. As Webster scrambled to form a defensive wall, Allen took advantage of his opponent’s confusion and sent a long shot into the back of the net as the Gorloks remained oblivious.
Blackburn fought hard in the final minutes to score an equalizer but were unable to complete the comeback, dropping the game by a score of 2-1.