Bethel soccer teams split with Central Christian on the road
The Thresher women took home a 5-0 win, their first of the season, while the men fell 1-0 on Saturday
MCPHERSON — On Saturday, the men's and women's soccer teams set out to get their first wins on the road in McPherson as they took on Central Christian. While the women completed their task with a convincing win of 5-0, the men came out unsuccessful, losing 1-0 in a close-fought game.
The Thresher women's team was slow to get started this season, but with a substantial amount of new players added to the team as well as the starting 11, head coach Ignacio Milla was hopeful for a spark and to grab the first win.
“With so many new players, there is a normal period of learning about each other and getting on a rhythm,” said Milla.
Milla kept the starting 11 relatively the same as their previous games, this time with eight players who are newcomers this year. These new players took to the pitch and shined quickly, as freshman attacker Taylor Andrew played a ball to the center of the 18-yard box to Leonie Kuhrt, another freshman, who bagged her first goal of the season, making the score 1-0 early on.
“It was a great feeling to score my first goal for Bethel,” said Kuhrt from Feienwill, Germany. “I'm very happy, and of course, my goal is to score many more goals this season.”
The new players didn't stop there though, as the forward from England, Beth Lloyd, would add herself to the scoresheet in the 17th minute, making the Threshers up by two.
Once again, the women didn't wait long to add goals in their favor, as in the 24th minute, freshman Madison Davis would get her first collegiate goal, with Kuhrt showing her skill again giving Davis the assist on the play.
“I think we were able to create more chances offensively,” added Milla. “Today we were able to manage the tempo of the game pretty well, being a bit more intense at the beginning where we were able to get in front pretty early and manage the game later on. We were a lot more clinical in the offensive unit.”
The fourth and fifth goals would come from yet another freshman, Malaysia Larque. Both of these goals game from outside the box, first with her left, and the next with her right foot.
“It was exhilarating and a fun moment to experience, especially as a freshman,” said Larque from Wichita Falls, Tex. on her two goals.
The two goals for Larque came in the 41st and 82nd minutes of the game, finally wrapping up the game in which the Threshers won by five.
Larque ends by saying, “I'm feeling excited about this season. It was a great win, and I'm excited to see what this team can do further into the season as we build more chemistry."
It was an exciting day for the Thresher women, however, a disappointing result for the men, as they moved to 0-2 on the season with a 1-0 loss.
“I think we need to continue working on being more confident when we have the ball in the early stages of buildup. We made a lot of mistakes by being slow in key moments up front.” said head coach Millicevic after the game. “We have to move on and continue improving in areas where we are currently not as good as we should be.
Millicevic also started a relatively similar lineup compared to their previous game excdept this time moving freshman Aden Braggs into the starting 11 at right wing.
It was a very possessive game for both teams, Central Christian showed their defensive strength after they scored their first and only goal of the night in the 25th minute. There were no other goals in the night, however, both teams had many chances in the night, and the Threshers were unable to break through.
“We conceded a goal after our own mistake,” said Millicevic. “It's always harder to get back when you are down. You start doubting, and teams generally start defending a lot more.”
A spotlight on the game for the Threshers, though, was goalkeeper Kazimir Kromwijk, a junior transfer from Indian Hills Community College. Kromwijk showed true resilience after the Tigers scored their first goal. Kromwijk had six saves in the game, as well as him showing his true “sweeper keeper” mentality, coming far off the line in several instances to help keep his side in the game. Kromwijk played the full 90 minutes on Saturday.
“Kaz is settling in well with his new teammates,” added Millicevic. “Every beginning is difficult and all new players work hard to prove themselves. It’s no different with Kaz. He has been amazing in practice and now we are seeing glances of how good he truly is. We asked Kaz to be off his line and serve as sweeper keeper and his decision making was phenomenal. I am looking forward to seeing him lead this team more this semester.”
The next games for the men and women don't line up directly, as the women will have a little over a week to focus on their next game, which takes place on Sept. 9th against Oklahoma Pandhandle State at home in Thresher Stadium at 7:30 p.m. The Thresher men will travel to Marshall, Mo. on Wednesday to take on the #9-ranked Missouri Valley Vikings, according to the latest NAIA Coaches’ top 25 poll.