DECATUR – It was an emotional night for seven of the Big Blue Men’s Soccer members last week because it was senior night in Decatur on a cold October night. For these members the night definitely meant something a little bit more to them than just any regular game.

The Big Blue (10-5, 1-4) faced the Redmen of Carthage College (10-5-2, 4-1-1), where they suffered a hard fought 1-0 loss Saturday night. The only goal was highlighted by Carthage’s Zach Schoffstall scored from a one-time shot placed by Austin Bitta and Ben Poder.

“Our guys played hard,” head coach Chad Jones said after the game. “That’s the only thing that I could ask from them. Everyone did what they were supposed to and it just didn’t turn out our way. We just have to look for the next one and move on.”

When asked about the senior night Coach Jones said, “It’s an emotional night for all of us. These are the guys who have been here their entire college career and its fun as a coach to watch them grow and develop as players and men. I’ve enjoyed every single one of their careers throughout the past four years.”

The Big Blue were outshot 15-12 in the game and Millikin sophomore Trevor Creek had six saves in his first ever collegiate start. Senior goaltender Daniel Sinclair was unable to play the match due to a red card in the previous appearance. Millikin seniors included Michael Burns, Sal Acevedo, Nick Abel, Daniel Sinclair, Peter Sinise, Connor Smith, and Zach Solorio.

“It was a tough night,” Millikin senior Nick Abel said. “I have enjoyed my years here and it is definitely sad that it had to be a loss on the biggest night of my career. I want to thank my family, teammates, and coach Jones for the support throughout the past four years.” When asked about the game Abel said, “I think we played well, but obviously could have played better. That’s how the game works sometimes. I disagreed with some calls out there, but that was just another thing we could have overcome.”

It was a strong effort by the team, every possession having more scoring chances. All chances were good chances, and it was just a better effort by the RedMen at the end of the night. Most chances from the Big Blue were set up by senior Nick Abel and his throwing abilities, putting the team in position to score in front of the net through the air throwing rather than on the ground passing.

Millikin has two games remaining this season, which includes a home match against North Central College on October 28 and a game at Augustana on October 31. In order for the Big Blue to make it to the CCIW tournament the team needs to win out the season, and hope that there’s still some magic left in the conference.