Thresher Soccer Teams Drop Conference Openers Against Kansas Wesleyan
Bethel women fall 2-1 despite Larque’s second-half goal, while the men battle hard before a controversial penalty shifts momentum in a 2-0 loss.
On Wednesday night, both men's and women's teams welcomed the Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes to start conference play. Neither team was able to obtain a victory despite the hard-fought performance from both teams.
The women's side got kicked off first as they looked to neutralize the Lady Coyotes, who are receiving national votes. Early in the match, Bethel stayed compressed and looked to do damage on the counterattack. Bethel was able to control the pace of the game by looking to swing it side to side and not letting any backside ball get over them.
“I was pleased with the way we were able to connect our passes and play together as a team,” said Kaitlyn Marroquin from Denton, Texas.
Despite great defensive efforts from the defense, Kansas Wesleyan was able to find the back of the net 18 minutes into the contest. This didn't keep the Threshers down, as they started to pressure a little bit more on top, forcing turnovers from the Lady Coyotes. Kansas Wesleyan was able to find the back of the net with one minute left in the first half, taking the partial lead into halftime.
The Threshers started the second half hot as they came out firing with a shot from sophomore Malayasia Larque that forced the Lady Coyotes goalkeeper to make a save, giving Bethel an early corner kick. After great persistence, sophomore Madison Davis set up Malayasia Larque for Bethel's only goal of the game.
“It was an amazing start to conference. I thought we stepped up beautifully and played the game we’re capable of playing. I’m really excited for the season.” Said head coach James Lipocky
Despite the persistence from Bethel, they were unable to find the equalizer and would drop the first conference home match of the season, bringing the final score to 2-1.
After being on the road for three weeks, the men's team was finally able to play once again at home. Bethel would come into the game with an overall record of 1-4. Battling through various injuries, Bethel would look to play and adapt.
Throughout the first 45 minutes of the match, it was an evenly contested game going back and forth as both teams looked to settle their style of play. Eight minutes into the match, the Threshers would pick up a yellow card, as junior transfer Seif Ghodhbani would commit a foul outside the box.
This wouldn't affect the game, as the Coyotes were not able to convert from this foul, yet this led Bethel to a counterattack that would finish with a shot by sophomore Cristian Del Real. Both teams experienced a tight first half as Kansas Wesleyan also received two yellow cards. The first half would end scoreless, as neither team would be able to do damage to the other.
Coming out of halftime, both teams kept the same rhythm in battling with each other. Everything would change when, after five minutes, the referee would make a controversial call that would end up in favor of the Coyotes, giving them a penalty kick. This call would be a complete momentum shift in the game.
The Coyotes converted from the spot and would take the lead by one. 10 minutes later, they would strike once again, making the game 2-0. Bethel took a couple of shots by sophomore Gabriel Okita that would be saved by the Coyotes' goalkeeper. Bethel would end up falling in the contest 2-0 but showed tremendous growth.
The Threshers will be back home Oct. 1st as they welcome the Sterling Warriors. The kick-off is scheduled for 5:00 P.M. for the women and 7:30 P.M. for the men.