Bethel soccer teams split with Avila on Senior Night
The Thresher women fell 2-0 while the men picked up another win, 7-3, ahead of their conference tournament.
On Monday night, Bethel would welcome the Avila Eagles to Thresher Stadium to close out the final homestand for the season. The game was scheduled for Saturday night, but due to the weather, the Senior Night contests would be pushed back. The women fell 2-0 while the men picked up a 7-3 win ahead of conference tournament play.
The women would have a special kick-off as senior Grace Anderson started the game for Bethel. Anderson missed the entire season due to an injury she suffered in the spring. Anderson kicked the ball out of play and stepped off the field one last time, receiving an ovation in front of the fans.
Avila inbounded the ball and got the game going. Both teams started high-pressing each other, looking to take control of the match early. Bethel settled the game after the first five minutes, looking to create chances but couldn’t find the final pass in the last third of the pitch.
“We tried to figure out some new stuff due to the starters we had out,” said Madison Strauss from Loxley, Ala.
The Lady Eagles received a corner kick coming off a cleared free kick from the Threshers and scored on it at the 26-minute mark of the first half. Bethel found possession of the ball again after the score. The first half would come to an end with Avila taking the lead into halftime, 1-0.
“I think we held defensively very good our game plan kind of work, especially that first half,” said head coach Ignacio Milla, “During the second half, I think we found a little momentum, especially when we’re one-zero down, I think our fair share of chances to try to go up.”
The intensity was maintained in the second half, as both teams looked to get an upper hand on each other. Bethel looked to create chances through wings, exposing their high fullbacks. Avila’s midfield stood compact, making it hard for the Thresher offense to get going. Avila put one more behind the net in the closing minutes of the match, making the final score 2-0.
With this close contest, Bethel closes its season finishing with a record of 6-11-1 overall and 2-10-1 in conference play.
The men’s team was playing their final game at Threshers Stadium on Monday night. The Threshers had secured their playoff seeding two games ago.
Bethel looked to keep the same scoring form from previous games. The Threshers wasted no time in high pressing and winning the ball instantly from the kickoff. Bethel kept swinging the ball through the back line as they patiently waited for space to open up. Looking to have a different style of approach in the attacking third, Bethel found the net in the opening 6 minutes of the game.
Freshman Filip Maksimovic found the goal once again; it was an assist from Aleksa Morovic. The Threshers went up 2-0 just six minutes later as senior Kevin Applewhite found the back of the net with a header; it was an assist from Aleksa Morovic.
Bethel kept the ball and moved it around, letting the Eagles do nothing. The Threshers were not troubled as the Eagles had no solutions to Bethel’s ball movement. Adalsteinn Kristinsson found the back of the net following a corner kick. Not only does Maksimovic score, but he can assist as well. Kristinsson put the Threshers up 3-0 inside the first 25 minutes of the first half.
Avila had no response to the Thresher offense. Bethel would find the net one last time before halftime as freshman Aleksa Obrina would find the net. He was assisted by Maksimovic for his second assist of the game.
Bethel took a 4-0 lead into halftime. It would be the second game in a row that Bethel put four goals in the first half past their opponents. At halftime, the Threshers were told don’t get comfortable and keep the same intensity.
After halftime, the Eagles started to build momentum by pressing the Threshers. Inside the first ten minutes, the Eagles found the board coming off a penalty kick awarded to them. Four minutes after their first goal, they found the back of the net again. Less than a minute later, Maksimovic found the net, completing his brace. Only three minutes passed when Obrina also completed his brace for the night, bringing the score to 6-2.
“I’m happy the team scored seven goals — that was a great attacking display, and we had the game under control from start to finish,” said Obrina from Belgrade, Serbia, “I just want to help the team and make things happen whether that is by scoring, assisting or making an important tackle, my goal is to contribute and give my all to this team.”
Avila kept challenging the Threshers, as only three minutes had passed when they put the third goal in. Bethel kept the match clean for the rest of the game as they compressed the middle of the field by swinging the ball back and forth. Senior Louis Etienne put the seventh goal in for the Threshers after earning himself a penalty kick. Bethel would see out the rest of the match, winning 7-3.
“It was a great win, it's always fun to win at home, especially scoring a lot of goals,” said head coach Luka Milicevic “ I was not happy on the defensive side of the game, there is a lot to improve for Friday’s game.”
Bethel improves its record to 8-5-5 and 7-3-3 in conference play. Maksimovic goal tally goes up to 22 in the season, which is tied for second in the NAIA. Bethel will now look forward to Friday’s game as they take on the Friends Falcons in the opening round of the KCAC tournament. The game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. kickoff in Wichita.