Both women’s and men’s soccer teams have been battling and trying to build momentum. The Threshers have shown up to every game with intense energy and the urge to win.
Both teams hosted Ottawa University on Saturday, Sept. 20. The boys had suffered a tough loss to Kansas Wesleyan University, where they battled until the end and fell 3-2. Their competition was about to get harder, as Ottawa is No. 16 in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).
There was a lot of pressure from the Thresher defense in the first half. This led Bethel to give up a penalty kick at 20:15, putting Ottawa on the board early. The boys looked flustered and Ottawa took advantage of that scoring again at 31:46.
The game was very intense and physical for both sides. Yet, Bethel persisted. Seven minutes into the second half, Ewrin Navarro (Fort Myers, Fla.) caught Ottawa off guard and scored, putting the Threshers on the board.
“We were focused on shifting, taking advantage of any counterattacks- that’s what led to my goal. It was a counter from our goalie, Diego, and we just took advantage of it.” Said Navarro on his goal.
An early goal from junior forward Malaysia Larque (WichitaFalls, Texas) gave the women’s soccer team a strong start Saturday as the Threshers took a 1-0 lead into halftime against Ottawa. Larque found the back of the net in the first half to put Bethel in front and give the Threshers a boost of confidence.
“When we scored that early in the game, it really boosted our confidence, and it made us so hype for the rest of the game,” Larque said.
Bethel held onto its lead through the remainder of the first half. Their defense was what held firm to keep the Braves off the scoreboard.
Ottawa came out of the halftime break with increased pressure and eventually found the back of the net twice to take a 2-1 lead. Bethel continued to battle and looked for opportunities to even the score but were unable to find another goal before the final whistle.
“The score does not really reflect the amount of effort and unity we had.” Larque said.