Bethel soccer teams fall in KCAC opener against Oklahoma Wesleyan
Both the Thresher men and women fell 5-0 to Oklahoma Wesleyan to open their conference seasons
KCAC play officially started for the Bethel soccer teams this past Saturday. The men came into their first conference game with a record of 1-4, and the women came in at 2-2-1. Although the teams were hopeful of starting the conference season with a win, it didn't go quite as planned as both teams dropped five goals versus the highly ranked Oklahoma Wesleyan Eagles.
The Threshers knew they were in for a tough match up, with Oklahoma Wesleyan’s women’s team ranked no. 25 in the nation and the men sitting at an impressive no. 6, according to the NAIA Coaches’ Polls.
The men started this game with a familiar face to be left out of the roster due to a red card in their last game. The red was handed to Sophomore striker Filip Maximovic; this would be the first game of the season where he would not be present. However, with the absence of the star striker, there was a positive note that freshman Gabriel Okita, from Braine-L'alleud, Belgium, would make his debut. Okita was unavailable for the first spell of games due to transcript issues with the NAIA, but he made his mark in the game vs. Oklahoma Wesleyan, playing in almost all 90 minutes.
Despite the solid first 25 minutes for the Thresher men, Oklahoma Wesleyan struck just two minutes in, setting the tone for a dominant performance. A penalty kick in the 22nd minute quickly made it 2-0. Bethel had many opportunities to get back in the game but couldn't break the ice. The Eagles would add two more goals in the 38th and 44th minutes, leaving Bethel down 4-0 at halftime. Despite a more organized defense in the second half, Oklahoma Wesleyan found the net one final time in the 84th minute.
Coach Luka Millicevic acknowledged the difficulty of the game but saw some positives from his team’s performance:
“Our guys followed the plan, which in certain situations allowed us to create some opportunities," he said. "It’s hard to measure a plan when you concede two minutes in and then after a penalty kick. Two set pieces, and we’re behind 0-2.”
On the women’s side, Oklahoma Wesleyan’s no. 25-ranked squad lived up to their billing, opening the scoring in the ninth minute and doubling their lead in the 38th minute just before halftime. The second half saw a quick set of three goals in the 46th, 47th, and 60th minutes, sealing the 5-0 result despite Bethel's efforts to regroup.
Head coach Ignacio Milla stated, “We wanted to make it very tight in the midfielder and stretch them so we could counter into the space. We created two good chances the first half but didn’t take the opportunities and they were able to capitalize on theirs. They are a very good side and were better than us on Saturday but the positive part is that the girls kept fighting until the end.”
Oklahoma Wesleyan’s women shined in controlling the ball when they had a chance, where most of the goals came from. Bethel will look to control the midfield and possess the ball better in the coming matches.
“I'd like to see us improve in having longer periods of controlled possession,” Milla added. “We will focus on that these next few days and hopefully get our first conference win this Wednesday”.
Both men and women continue their home stint and look for their first win in the KCAC, playing against Bethany. The women will take on the Swedes this Wednesday at 5 p.m. and the men will follow at 7:30 p.m at Thresher Stadium.