Thresher soccer sweeps Sterling on the road
Larque and Oborina lead the way to a 4-0 win for both teams against Sterling
STERLING — Both of the soccer teams representing Bethel traveled to Sterling to take on the Warriors this past Wednesday. For the men and women, Sterling has had a relatively struggling season, with the women in 13th and the men in 12th. As the Warriors took on the Threshers, it meant more struggle for their season as both teams were beat 4-0.
The Bethel women started the game strong as the freshman from Wichita Falls, Texas, Malayasia Larque, struck first in the eighth minute.
“I think Malaysia probably took the man of the match. She was extremely dangerous throughout the entire game and was able to get two more goals to her tally,” said Head Coach Ignacio Milla.
The second goal for the Lady Threshers would come in the 31st minute, from yet another freshman, Ashlee Clausen, from Chattaroy, Wash. Clausen came off the bench this game and made an immediate impact, getting her first goal of the season.
As the first half ended and the second began, it only took Larque 55 seconds to earn her 11th goal of the season. After a corner attempt from the Warriors, Larque intercepted and made a box-to-box solo run after a wall pass from Clausen.
“These goals have really improved my confidence, especially as a freshman, but I wouldn’t be able to do any of this without the support from my teammates and coaches,” added Larque. “We just have to continue to stay in the right mentality of knowing our capabilities and just prove and show everyone on the field to not count us out.”
At 3-0, the Bethel women weren't quite done, as Maddie Moscrip, a freshman midfielder from Martinsville, Ind., would earn her first assist as she cut a ball to the middle of the 18 to the 5th-year senior from Heath, Tex., Grace Anderson. Anderson hit the ball first time into the top right corner, leaving no chance for the Warriors goalkeeper.
Another player to highlight for the women is Madison Davis, a freshman midfielder from Farmington, Utah. Davis has started every game for the Threshers this year, and on Wednesday, although she was not on the scoresheet, she helped her team immensely, working hard on both sides of the pitch.
Davis stated, “I was very happy with the win. It was good to get the win this week, and hopefully the energy from it will carry into Saturday's game, which is very important for us.”
As for the men, they followed the women's game with an identical score of 4-0. Aleksa Oborina, the sophomore from Belgrade, Serbia, had three goal contributions on the day, with two goals and one assist. Oborina is on a hot streak, as just last week, he had a hat trick against Saint Mary. The other two goals came from Gabriel Okita, a freshman from Braine-L'alleud, Belgium. And the freshman from Brentwood, California, Kian Maderios, got the winner.
Head coach Luka Milicevic said, “My man of the match today was Obi. He scored the first two goals for us and added one assist. This was a great win. We were expected to win, and we won. Not much more to add. A clean sheet boosts everyone’s confidence. We are peaking at the right moment for the playoffs.”
One of Milicevic's goals for the season was to have as many shutouts as possible; this time out, two players were to thank for the zero goals conceded. The starting goalkeeper for Bethel this year, Kazimir Kromwijk, from Dordrecht, Netherlands, had five saves on the day. Later on, the junior goalkeeper from Liberal, Kansas, Samuel Hernandez, made his second appearance of the season; his instruction from Milicevic was to “finish to game,” and he certainly did, as both goalkeepers went home happy with a shutout.
Oborina got the game started; in the first minute, he earned his first goal of the game from an early corner kick play. Just 13 minutes later, Oborina would double his goal tally, as well as the score from a missed clearance from the Warriors.
“I'm buzzing. We knew that this was a must-win game, so I'm proud that I was able to contribute once more. I was going for the hat-trick after scoring twice in the opening 15 minutes, but I guess it wasn't meant to be this time.” Oborina added, “Even though there were some aspects of my game with whom I wasn't happy, I'm satisfied with my stat line. Looking into the future, I'm confident that we will finish the regular season on a high on Saturday and then translate that form into the playoffs.”
The final goal of the second half would come from Okita, assisted by Kevin Zavala, the sophomore from Robertsdale, Ala. Zavala played a through ball perfectly for Okita to then dribble around the goalkeeper and make the score 3-0.
Okita stated, “I’m feeling good and confident about two important wins for the team as the playoffs arrive. I’m always hungry for more, and I always try to be better. My message for the team is to win the last game and enter the playoffs with a winning streak, and then let’s fight as a team because every game is going to be a final now, and anything can happen in soccer.”
After the third goal in the 27th minute, the scoreline remained the same until the second half. Although the Threshers didn't add many more goals, it was a time for Bethel subs to make their way onto the field. Eight players came off the bench for the Threshers. After the stalemate of goals, Kian Madeiros put it to a stop as he earned his first goal in a Bethel kit. Assisted once more by Oborina.
“I'm very happy that I assisted Kian for his first goal for Bethel and that the team managed a clean sheet,” said Oborina.
With only one game remaining in the season, the women's side is looking at an extremely tight finish to make it into the playoffs. The scenario in which the Lady Threshers sneak into the top eight is if Oklahoma Wesleyan beats Tabor and Kansas Wesleyan beats Southwestern. If these two results happen and Bethel gets a win versus Avila, who is currently in third place, they will make the playoffs.
Ignacio Milla answered how he feels with the season ending and playoff chances:
“Its super exciting and good to have a chance on the last game to get our ticket in. The only thing that we have on mind tomorrow is winning, and then we will see what the other results bring to us. Right now it’s on us to get three points, and we will see what happens after.”
The playoffs and table for the men stand in a different way; as the Bethel men have clinched their spot, they are now waiting on their next result, as well as other teams to play. As of now, it is highly probable that Bethel will finish 4th; however, they could drop to 5th depending on other results.
The decider of playoffs will land on Saturday, November 2nd, as both Thresher teams will travel to Avila. The women will begin the day at 11:30 a.m. and the men will follow at 2:00 p.m.