Bethel men's soccer ends season at KCAC semifinal match
After history was made in the KCAC quarterfinal match vs. Saint Mary, the Threshers lost in the semifinal against Oklahoma Wesleyan.
On Wednesday, Nov. 6th, Bethel men's soccer made history, not only by hosting a home playoff game but also by winning against Saint Mary with a score of 2-0.
These teams weren't unfamiliar with each other; on senior night, the Threshers defeated the Spires 6-4. However much Saint Mary wanted to earn a win and fight back, though, they couldn't due to goals from Gabriel Okita and Aden Braggs.
The first goal would come in the 18th minute after a defensive mistake by the Spires. Okita, a freshman left winger from Braine-L'alleud, Belgium, took advantage of the mistake and curled it past the Saint Mary’s goalkeeper. The Thresher would double their lead thanks to another freshman, Braggs, earning his second goal of the season. Braggs, from Dallas, found himself in a perfect position to rebound a bouncing ball into the back of the net.
“It was an amazing feeling knowing that all of my hard work, even going from starting to not starting.” Braggs added, “That gave me the fire I needed to keep pushing through, and it all paid off in the end.”
After the win versus Saint Mary, the Threshers were looking forward to carrying out their momentum and continuing their historic season. Unfortunately, though, Bethel came up short in the KCAC semifinals versus Oklahoma Wesleyan, who are currently sitting at no. 2 in the nation.
The game took place on Friday, Nov. 8th, at Stryker Sports Complex, a neutral location for the KCAC semifinal. The Threshers season would end that day, as the Eagles won in a 6-2 battle. Although the season ended in sadness, Head coach Luka Milicevic had some words to refelct on the game, as well as the season entirely:
“Without history you really have nothing to compare your results to and from that perspective, we achieved something amazing this year. I think our results, although not perfect, helped us lift the standard of this program and allow us to now build on it and come back even better next year. Last year we finished 5th and in first round of playoffs. This year, we finished 4th and in the playoff semis. We now look at these two years and say, this is our norm. We have to find a way to exceed the norm and fight for the top 2 in the conference. When reflecting on the season, I cannot think of anything else but our players and coaches who worked tremendously hard every day. Countless hours of practice, film, and travel. All this while still going to class and doing really well there too.”
The Threshers officially end their season with a 9-8-3 overall record (7-3-3 in KCAC play). The players will now have time to focus on their studies, and the upcoming spring season.
Lucas Pardo, a fifth year senior, and captain of the Threshers also wanted to share a few words. It goes without saying the amount of hard work and dedication, as well as leadership that Pardo has put into this program, as he exits collegiate soccer, he shares these words:
“It was a weird season, because we started bad but as soon as we changed out mentality we realized what we needed to do and how to play the games. I’m proud on how we turned around after a sloppy start, and I’m feeling sad that the season is over but without any doubt that we did the right things and we did as much as we could.”