NORTH MANKATO, Minn. – Senior Connor Nelson stepped up once again for the Bethel University men's soccer team netting the game winner Wednesday night against Bethany Lutheran. Nelson tapped in the go-ahead goal from the right side in the 81st sealing the 2-1 victory for the Royals.

Bethel puts its undefeated 3-0 record back on the line Saturday, Sept. 7 against Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Match time is set for 3:30 p.m.

Both teams had a couple of good early looks before Bethel broke through on the scoreboard. In the 34th minute, Nelson sent a cross from the far side to Brandon Martinez-Luhman who found himself in the right place at the right time tapping it in making 1-0.

Out of the break, Bethel opened with four shots in the first 12 minutes of the second half. What felt like momentum being on the Royal side faded with the Vikings tying the match at 1-1 in the 64th minute. The goal came after BU could not connect on a corner allowing BLC to go the length of the field before a give and go helped them score from the right side.

The Royals continued to battle in an aggressive match that saw 23 combined fouls and five yellow cards, but resilience down the stretch paid off with Nelson connecting on a pass from Keegan Mellema scoring his third goal in as many games.

Bethel outshot the Vikings 16-10 in the match while Colin Hupert recorded four saves in net.