The Boyce Bulldogs have a championship to display in their trophy case.
The Boyce men’s soccer team made history on Saturday by defeating the Campbellsville Pioneers 6-1 to win the Mideast Regional Tournament.
Yonelson Alvarez and Caleb Sites led the team with two goals each.
The victory on Saturday was a testimony to the hard work of the coaches, staff, and players. And they aren’t done yet. After ending an up and down regular season with a record of 5-8-1, the Bulldogs won three straight games in regionals and hope to continue their run in Kissimmee, Florida where they advanced to play in the Division 2 national tournament.
The fifth-seeded Bulldogs will meet top-seeded Bob Jones at 3 p.m., November 16. Then Boyce will face fourth-seeded Manhattan at 3 p.m., November 17.
Ward, who started the men’s soccer program in 2015, said he is honored to coach Boyce to its first-ever tournament win. Bringing home a championship to Boyce is just one part of his larger vision for the program.
“I’m honored to be a soccer coach at Boyce College,” he said. “My passion is to use soccer as a ministry to instill Christ, integrity and character in the young men of the Boyce soccer team.”
Boyce entered the Mideast Regional as the fourth seed. After shutting out Appalachian Bible College 5-1 in the quarterfinals, the Bulldogs met top-seed Grace Christian in the semifinals. Grace had outscored Boyce 14-2 in the previous two meetings. But thanks to multiple goals by Alvarez and Mathew Prottzman, Boyce survived a late push by Grace to win 5-3.
In Saturday’s championship, the Bulldogs struck early and never looked back, scoring in six minutes on a free kick by Alvarez then heading into halftime with a 3-0 lead. Head coach Billy Ward and the team maintained their composure and secured the historic victory 6-1.
Alvarez dominated the tournament with seven goals, earning him a spot on the all-region team. Prottzman who had three goals, was also named all-region.
“We are excited for the team and coach Ward in winning this tournament,” Boyce College athletic director Michael McCarty said. “This is the first regional championship in Boyce athletics history. The players and coach Ward have worked hard to grow our men’s program over the past seven years.
“To reach this level of competition is an honor and a blessing for Boyce athletics and for the Boyce College community. We look forward to competing at this level with all our athletic teams for years to come.”