Thresher soccer teams sweep the Aggies at home
Thresher soccer teams sweep the Aggies at home
On Monday, the Bethel men picked up their first win of the season against Oklahoma Panhandle State 3-1, while the women won later in the night 3-2
Unusually, the men started on Monday night, a change from every game as the women usually play first. They were looking for their first win of the season, hoping to take down the Oklahoma Panhandle State Aggies. They completed their goal respectfully, with a score of 3-1.
Although the two teams are in separate conferences, the Bethel men aren't unfamiliar with the Aggies, as they tied 0-0 last year away from home. This gave the Threshers even more motivation to provide them and their home fans with a win.
“Winning a game is always good, especially at home in front of our fans,” said head coach Luka Milicevic.
The game started very possessive for the first 30 minutes, with both teams sharing the ball. It also had many scrappy moments, giving the referee of the day plenty of decisions early on.
The first goal wouldn't come until a corner kick was given to the Threshers in the 37th minute. As the ball was sent in, it rebounded twice before falling to fifth-year senior centerback Juan Volker at the top of the 18-yard box, which he would shoot straight into the top right corner, leaving no chance for the Aggies goalkeeper.
“I don't score many goals as a center back, so scoring like that was special,” Volker from Vina del Mar, Chile stated. “It feels nice to score a goal, helping the team in any way possible.”
With Volkers's goal, the Threshers and Aggies would head to the locker room with a score of 1-0. As the teams entered the field for the second half, the game would take a turn. This half was extremely physical, with 23 fouls taking place in the last 45 minutes. Eight fouls, and three yellow cards were given to Bethel and 15 fouls were given to Oklahoma Panhandle State, with five yellow cards.
However tough the game got for the Threshers, they still managed to extend their lead in the 80th minute. The Aggies gave away a penalty, which allowed who else but Filip Maksimovic a chance to get his first goal of the season. The sophomore from Belgrade, Serbia, was KCAC freshman of the year last season, which meant high expectations for the striker in his sophomore year. Maksimovic scored once more after the Aggies got one back in the 83rd minute, with a power shot hitting the back of the net in the 87th minute. This would make the final score 3-1.
Maksimovic is known to stay calm under pressure, and when asked about how he was feeling during the penalty kick, he stated, “I didn't feel anything, when I stepped up there was no pressure.”
These were Maksimovic's first goals of the season, and although it may not have been the start he wanted in the previous games, Maksimovic got the ball rolling with these two goals to move forward in the season.
“It feels good to break the ice with these goals,” added Maksimovic. “I feel that this is a good build-up for later stages in the season.”
The win over Oklahoma Panhandle State gave the Thresher men their first win of their long season.
“We are still not performing to our standards,” said Milicevic. “We need to do a better job of managing games when we are ahead. We continue to allow opponents a way back in.”
Following the men's game, the women would take on the Aggies as well. The Bethel women had momentum as they had won their most recent game against Central Christian. In hopes of starting a streak of wins, it would take beating Oklahoma Panhandle State, which was a success for the Threshers in a 3-2 victory.
Although the Threshers ended up winning this game, they fell behind twice, starting with the Aggies scoring first in the 41st minute. However, their lead didn't last long, as only three minutes later, fifth-year senior striker Grace Anderson for the Threshers came up against the goalkeeper one v. one and slotted it past, making it 1-1.
“Grace is coming off of a big injury, and I have been witness to the work she has put in on her recovery as well as her getting into the field,” head coach Ignacio Milla mentioned. “Today her goal was huge, as we could have gone to the half down and it could have been a completely different game. She will give us more special moments this year for sure.”
The one goal from each team would end the half. As the women came back out on the field, the third goal would come from the Aggies in the 51st minute. Once again though, Bethel didn't let this stop them, as they would score once more only eight minutes later. The goal would come from the freshman English striker, Beth Lloyd, setting her goal count at three on the season.
At 2-2, the game would be shared evenly with both teams. The Aggies wanted to take the lead once more, but thanks to goalkeeper Victoria Esquivel, they were unsuccessful. This was Esquivel's first full 90 minutes this season. The senior from San Antonio would help her team find their second win of the season in front of the home fans with four saves in the contest.
“It felt great to be back on the field with my team,” Esquivel said. “I love getting to compete alongside my best friends and do my part to help support the team. This was my first full 90 of the season, and it was super exciting. We continue to get better each game, and I cannot wait for conference to start.”
The winner would come from sophmore transfer Yuly Torres, originally from Bogota, Columbia. Torres is a play-making left wing back who has had a significant impact on the Threshers’ season so far. Her goal would come in the 83rd minute, finalizing the score at 3-2, securing a win.
“Getting the result is huge,” said Milla. “It gives us momentum that hopefully we can translate into conference play in a couple of weeks.”
The men will host their first conference game against no. 6 in the NAIA polls Oklahoma Wesleyan on Sept. 21st at 2:00 p.m. The women will play against Texas Wesleyan in their last preseason game on Sept. 17th at 3:00 p.m. which will take place away from home in Fort Worth.