BELOIT, WI – Millikin men's soccer closed out its 2026 season on Tuesday afternoon against the Beloit College Buccaneers at the Strong Complex Soccer Field.
The Big Blue came out fast in the 2nd minute when freshman
Arthur Medina connected with senior
Olav Kaldahl on a long pass, leading to Kaldahl's eighth goal of the year. Beloit responded with a goal in the 17th minute to tie the match at 1-1.
In the 29th minute, Kaldahl struck again for his second goal of the night and ninth of the year after receiving a pass from sophomore
Kyle Grasse, putting the Big Blue back on top, 2-1. Ten minutes later, the Buccaneers found the equalizer to even the score at 2-2. With 19 seconds remaining in the first half, Beloit netted its third goal of the match to take a one-goal advantage into halftime.
Seven minutes into the second half, sophomore
Mikkel Opdahl bagged his 5th goal of the season with assists from Kaldahl and freshman
Aquiles Yibirin. The Buccaneers answered with three goals in the 54th, 57th, and 74th minutes to retake the lead, 6-3.
With five minutes remaining, freshman
Luca Lopez fired a shot into the net to cut the Big Blue's deficit to two. The Buccaneers held off Millikin in the final minutes to secure the 6-4 victory.
"This season didn't go the way we wanted but we will learn from this experience as we prepare for next fall" said Head Coach
Charlie Ward. "Thank you to everyone who supported us this season and look forward to another year of Big Blue soccer."
The men's soccer program closes the 2026 campaign with an 8-9-1 overall record and 3-5 in College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin play.
