Thresher soccer brings home a win and a tie against Southwestern
Pardo and Okita secure a 2-0 win for Bethel men, and Kuhrt's solo goal would grab the women a tie.
On Saturday, the men's and women's soccer teams of Bethel traveled to Winfield to take on Southwestern. The women would end in a 1-1 tie while the men brought home a 2-0 win.
Per usual, the women's game arrived first. Leonie Kuhrt had four goals on the season coming into the game against Southwestern and didn't wait long to make it a fifth, as the German striker from Feienwill, Germany, fired first to get her team into the lead in the 23rd minute. Although the Jinx would make several subs at the end of the first half, it wasn't enough to draw level as the half would end at 1-0.
“Leonie has been fantastic all season. Usually, you see, especially internationals, need a little bit of an adaptation. When getting into the US, the game is very different from what they’re used to from back home, but Leo came in and has adapted fantastically,” said head coach Ignacio Milla. “She is one of the most impactful freshmen in the entire conference.”
There were 12 fouls in the second half across both teams, showing the battle that they were fighting to either get equal or maintain their lead. The Threshers were holding on to their goal for almost all of the second half until a corner fell to the Jinx, and they would capitalize on it. Southwestern made the score 1-1 at the time of 89:59, as the game would end right as Bethel Kicked off.
Milla had a few words about the late goal, stating:
“If that doesn’t happen, we finish the game, and we’re all happy, and we don’t think about anything twice. But we just have to be able to close this game up. Felt we had control through the entire game; we moved the ball pretty well and kept possession; we just couldn’t capitalize on more chances, and when you have such tight games, define the game, like on Saturday. With that being said, we felt we have been improving game to game and looking forward to this Wednesday so we can get a win at home.”
The Thresher men were next up to take on Southwestern. They were 2-2 in the KCAC before taking on the Jinx, and with a 2-0 win, they moved to 3-2.
The Threshers were yet to earn a clean sheet on the season, but on Saturday night, this ended, thanks to the junior goalkeeper from Dordrecht, Netherlands, Kazimiir Kromwijk, and his back line. Kromwijk only needed to make two saves on the night, as the defensive line provided safety all night.
The first goal of the night would come from the true freshman from Braine-L'alleud, Belgium, Gabriel Okita. It would be Okita’s second goal of the season as he finessed the ball into the bottom right corner, sneaking past the Jinx’s keeper in the 21st minute.
“I'd say I feel good; there's the goal, but also the win is important; we needed this win, and after a few games, I'm starting to get used to the system and my teammates,” said Okita. “I want to help the team and I’m hungry for more.”
The goal was assisted by Filip Maksimovic, although he didn't contribute a goal this time out, a passing header delivered to Okita would keep his name on the stat sheet.
“Southwestern was a team that we knew would bring energy. However, the way they play was in our favor, and our goal was to be patient and on the ball for the majority of the time.” head coach Luka Milicevic stated.
Patience certainly was on the cards, as the Threshers held on to their 1-0 win until the 65th minute, when Lucas Pardo, the 5th-year senior captain from Montevideo, Uruguay, would dribble through four of Southwestern's defenders and slot it past the keeper, doubling his team's lead.
Milicevic said, “Lucas Pardo keeps demonstrating why he is our captain. He’s been on fire this fall.”
This goal from Pardo would make it six goal contributions to his season. When asked about his goal and the win, Pardo said:
“It's always good to help the team get a win; we needed it to keep fighting for our season. We learned in the York game that we can compete against anyone, but it's up to the players to make that happen with the intensity and mindset we put into the game.”
Both of the Thresher soccer teams will keep their KCAC fight alive on Wednesday. McPherson will travel to Thresher Stadium, as the women will play at 5:00 p.m. and the men will follow at 7:30 p.m. The Bulldog women are coming off a 6-0 loss, and the men with a 5-2 loss to Friends. Both teams will be looking to recoup their losses and give the Threshers a battle this Wednesday.