Bethel soccer teams sweep Sterling to open final homestand
Bethel soccer teams sweep Sterling to open final homestand
The women got their first home conference win as the men clinched a playoff spot.
On Wednesday, the Thresher soccer teams welcomed the Sterling Warriors for the final homestand of the season. The women looked to bounce back after losing to Saint Mary and they were still looking for their first conference win at home. The men hoped to clinch their playoff spot for the conference tournament.
The women went on to get their first home conference win 3-2 and the men clinched their postseason spot with a 4-0 win.
The field conditions were not the best to start for the women’s game. The weather was a factor in the first half, as the rain would come and go. Despite the rain, the game would be played in its entirety.
Sterling would get on the board first as they would play a through ball through the middle of the pitch and leave the striker alone with goalkeeper Mariah Vallejo on a one-on-one as she would execute for the Warriors.
Bethel kept playing their game, swinging the ball from side to side, looking to create chances from the middle and through the wings. Ashley SaJous evened the game out at one goal apiece after the keeper fumbled the ball in the 6-yard box coming off a shot from Nevaeh Gonzalez. Three minutes later, SaJous earned a penalty for the Threshers. Taylor Dashney executed the penalty kick, bringing the girls up one goal going into halftime.
Bethel's defense kept the Warriors out and cleared the ball out of every situation they had. Fifteen minutes into the second half, Bethel had a free kick that would result in the third goal. Dashney crossed the ball into the box, finding the head of freshman Briseis Gomez, who put Bethel up by two.
“Scoring the winning goal felt good so that we would be able to win at home. Winning at home was a relief,” said Gomez from El Paso, Texas. “I hope we can finish strong with another win for senior night.”
The Warriors put one more goal up before this contest ended, as Vallejo committed a foul inside the box. Sterling’s goal put the contest at 3-2, but Bethel would see out the narrow victory. This win marks the first home conference victory for the Threshers.
“This is definitely a team win, and we did what we were supposed to prepare very well in terms of tactics,” said head coach Ignacio Milla.
Bethel's men's team looked to continue their winning form like they did over the weekend at Saint Mary. The Threshers had an opportunity to clinch a playoff spot with a win. This contest looked to be a competitive one as the Warriors were coming on as one of the top teams in the conference this year.
The Threshers started strong, as they would get on the board within the first five minutes of the game. Freshman Filip Maksimovic would chip the Warriors keeper from outside the box to find the net; he received the long pass from junior Adalsteinn Kristinsonn.
Sterling didn’t stay down, as they looked to create chances of their own by shooting at Sean Holness. The Threshers stayed resilient and kept swinging the ball through the middle of the field. Once again, Maksimovic found the back of the net, and he received a great cross from senior Cristobal Goldberg to go up 2-0 in the contest.
Only two minutes passed before Maksimovic drew a foul inside the box, resulting in a penalty for the Threshers. Goldberg was the man in charge of putting Bethel up 3-0. The Threshers had built a 3-0 lead inside the first 25 minutes of the first half.
The Warriors had no response to Bethel’s attack. The Threshers settled the game down after going up 3-0. Bethel’s defense and midfield looked to stay composed, with the ball moving from one side to another. Maksimovic scored his hattrick with five minutes left in the first half to bring the score to 4-0.
“We wanted to make a statement on Wednesday that we are ready for playoffs, no matter who comes our way,” said head coach Luka Milicevic. “The response was phenomenal from the team. Probably the best 45 minutes we had since I started coaching here at Bethel.”
The second half would look to be a slow one, as neither team could create any chances in front of goal. The Warriors had one chance to score a goal, coming from the penalty spot. Sterling was denied from the spot as Holness would keep a clean sheet, the first one of the season in conference play. Bethel has cliched the playoffs with this 4-0 win.
“Saving the PK so late in the game to keep the clean sheet is something that feels good,” said Holness from London, England. “This is the best Bethel team in a while; I enjoy playing with this team.”
Both teams will be back in action Saturday night as they take on Avila University for Senior Night. The women’s game is set to kick off at 5:30 p.m. with the men’s game to follow at 8 p.m.