Goshen College

GOSHEN, Ind. - Men's soccer faced off against the Cougars of Saint Francis in their Senior Night matchup, falling narrowing 3-2 after a very close game in their final home match of the year. 

Both teams came out aggressively in the first half, with the Cougars maintaining more possession, but the Leafs generating some dangerous chances on goal nevertheless. It was Saint Francis who first gained the advantage in the 38th minute, with Quinn Clayton putting one in the back of the net to send the Cougars into the half time break up 1-0. 

The second half started similarly to the first, but the action really kicked off in the 65th minute, when Nicolas Amarilla Vargas generated his own chance on goal, beating both of his defenders and absolutely bearing his shot into the top netting to tie the game up 1-1. 

The Cougars quickly responded, with Sidney Tippner finding a header to the back post after a beautifully placed long ball into the box from Rani Hadid, this one coming in the 67th minute. 

The Leafs were not deterred for long however, as Amarilla Vargas took matters into his own hands once again, sneaking in behind his defender to receive the perfectly placed ball forward from Martim Alves. A smart touch around the keeper resulted in a simple pass into the back of the net, and equalizing the game once more. 

But just as they had before, the Cougars found a way to answer, as a set piece ball into the box allowed for a few touches from Saint Francis before Nicolás Balbin managed to get a foot behind it. This would be the final goal of the match, coming in the 79th minute to secure the 3-2 victory for the Cougars. 

After his success, Amarilla Vargas became the first player to pick up a brace of goals since early in the season last year. He was also the first player to get multiple goals in a conference match since 2022, and this was the first time the same player scored multiple game-tying goals since current assistant coach Henrique Eichenberger did it as a player back in 2020. 

He also led the Leafs with five shots, followed by Kyle Phillip and Nicholas Whitaker with three — Phillip putting two shots on goal and Whitaker one. Matias Labbe also picked up seven saves on the match, which tied a career high for him. He was a key piece of keeping the game competitive after a few critical saves early on in the game. 

The Maple Leafs are back in action on Wednesday, Oct. 28 as they travel to take on the Cougars of Spring Arbor at 7 p.m. in their final match of the year. 

The game also marked Senior Night, where the class of 2027 were celebrated before the game. This year, ten players were celebrated — Guilherme Mello, Jorge Silva, Joao De Melo, Jalen Borneo-John, Dereck Lopez Jimenez, Salvador Evangelho, Vitor Cassol Zimmermann, Andrew Kauffman, Nathan Anderson, and Jeffrey Villalta Jimenez. Here is what was said about the players before the game:

We start by recognizing #3, Guilherme Mello! Guilherme is being escorted by his friends Eduardo, Jessie, Bolu, and Andrew. He is a biochemistry and molecular biology major and after graduation he plans to start working before applying to medical school in the future. Thank you, Guilherme!

Next we have #7, Jorge Silva! Jorge is being escorted by his friends Diogo and Ivan. He is an exercise science and physical education major, and after graduation he plans to return to Portugal and pursue a career in teaching sports and fitness. Thank you, Jorge!

Next up is #13, Joao De Melo! Joao is being escorted by his friends Gabriel and Joao, and his host family. He is a sports management and business administration major and plans to start working during his OPT time after graduation and then pursue a master's degree. Thank you, Joao!

Next for the Maple Leafs is #15, Jalen Borneo-John! Jalen is being escorted by his mom, Je-Anne. He is an exercise science major with a psychology minor, and after graduation he plans to attend graduate school to get his doctorate in sports psychology. Thank you, Jalen!

Now we recognize #17, Dereck Lopez Jimenez. Dereck is being escorted by his parents, Kenneth and Yenny, and his brother Eykell. He is a business administration major with a minor in global economics, and he plans to continue his education at graduate school, where he will pursue a master's degree. Thank you, Dereck!

Next we have #22, Salvador Evangelho. Salvador is being escorted by his friends Pedro, Gabriel, Felipe, Dinis, Martim, and Afonso. He is a business major, and after graduation he hopes to be in a position to help his parents retire. Thank you, Salvador!

Next up is #23, Vitor Cassol Zimmermann. He is being escorted by his friends Isabel, Ana, Diego, and Livia. He is a business administration major with a minor in communication. After graduation, he plans to work for a year in the Goshen area during his OPT time and then pursue a master's degree. Thank you, Vitor!

Next for the Maple Leafs is #31, Andrew Kauffman. He is being escorted by his mom Kristi and his brothers Alex and Carson. He is an accounting major, and plans to complete his internship this summer before returning for a final semester to complete his degree. After graduation he then plans to find a job. Thank you, Andrew!

Now we recognize #32 Nathan Anderson. He is being escorted by his parents, Anita and Jason, his roommates Sawyer and Vaughn, and his friends Ben and Zeke. He is an accounting major, and plans to work in public accounting after graduation, before eventually moving to London. Thank you, Nathan!

Finally, recognize Jeffrey Villalta Jimenez. He is being escorted by his parents, Noe Villalta and Marinela Jimenez, and his siblings, Javier, Derrick, and Kaylee. He is a business major with a minor in marketing. After graduation he hopes to build a career where he can positively impact those around him, improving their lives and well-being. Thank you, Jeffrey!

Seniors - we wish nothing but the best for you in your future endeavors and thank you again for your contributions to the Goshen College men's soccer program. As you go out into the world, live FULL lives of faith, unity, learning and leadership. Fans, let's hear it one last time for our men's soccer seniors!