Bluefield, Va. – The UPIKE Bears took on the Bluefield Rams today and were defeated 3-2.
 
The Bears opened the scoring early in this one. The Bears drove deep into the attacking zone when freshman Paul Kueltz netted his first goal of the 2022 season. Kueltz's goal gave the Bears a 1-0 just 13 minutes in.
 
Shortly after the UPIKE goal, Bluefield had some good looks in the Bears end of the field. But goalie Adam Di Millo and the Bears defense held strong in the first half.
 
After weathering the Bluefield attack midway through the first, the Bears went on the attack and took a 2-0 lead. Daron Baumann, at the 32' minute of the first half, scored his fourth goal in the last two games and his fourth of the season.
 
Bluefield cut the UPIKE lead in half at the 76' minute. This goal gave the Rams some momentum. Bluefield would go on to tie the game off a free kick at the 82' mark.
 
The final five minutes of this game gave us some great back and forth action. Both the Bears and Rams had free kick opportunities, but only the Rams were able to take advantage. A Bluefield free kick with ten seconds left found its way to the back of the UPIKE net, and the Bears fell 3-2.
 
Shots on goal in this game were 3-2 in favor of Bluefield, with the Rams also having an 8-5 advantage in shots taken.
 
Today's loss is the first of the season for the Bears. UPIKE will hit the pitch again Tuesday evening at home as they take on the Campbellsville University-Harrodsburg Pioneers.
 
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