Threshers soccer Battle McPherson: Women Earn Late Win, Men Draw in Intense Match
Women secure a late victory while men battle to a 2–2 tie to stay in playoff contention.
Both of Bethel’s soccer teams were coming off positive results following this weekend’s trip to Kansas City. The women’s side picked up a dramatic draw against Avila in the 89th minute thanks to a goal from sophomore Taylor Andrew, while the men scored twice in the final 20 minutes to defeat the Eagles.
The women’s side got the action kicked off as they looked to keep making a late run in the season to push them into the playoffs. The Lady Bulldogs controlled the first ten minutes of the game as they pressed forward. The Threshers were able to keep a strong presence defensively in the back line.
“I mean, our back line was phenomenal,” said head coach James Lipocky. “ That’s probably the best they’ve played the whole year, and that’s without her, which, again, is just amazing.” During the game on Saturday, Bethel would lose Yuly Torres due to an injury.
The Threshers started to have a feel for the game after holding down McPherson for the first 10 minutes. Bethel controlled the ball, looking to find the gaps down the wings. Freshman Melanie Torres had the first shot of the game for the Threshers in the 31st minute.
Seven minutes later, sophomore Madison Davis would cross the ball into the box, and Torres would flick it back to Sophomore Malayasia Larque, who found the back net for her fifth goal this season. This let Bethel take the lead going into halftime with a score of 1-0.
The Threshers looked to stay composed coming out in the second half and continue to dominate the Lady Bulldogs. McPherson would tie the game 14 minutes into the second half when they would have a shot from outside the box that would find the top corner.
“I think the game went really well, I’m happy with the team’s performance and hope to carry it out into Saturday’s game,” said Torres, from Puyallup, Wash.
Bethel stayed composed even after receiving the goal. Torres had her second assist of the game when she found freshman Aniaya Lugo, who would score with 11 minutes to go in the game. The Threshers would see out the rest of the match by maintaining possession and closing out the game with the final score of 2-1. This win helps Bethel stay alive in playoff contention, closing the gap by one point from a playoff seed.
The men’s game kicked off, and action was packed from the start as the Bulldogs looked to press high early on. This wouldn’t be a problem for Bethel, as they were able to keep possession of the ball. Inside the first ten minutes of the game, sophomore Aden Braggs was able to fire two shots.
After the first 10 minutes, McPherson settled in and kept the ball, trying to find danger. In the 11th minute, they were able to get a shot on target that was saved by senior goalkeeper Kazimir Kromwijk. The Bulldogs would go on to dominate the next 10 minutes of the game.
However, in the 20th minute, Braggs was able to find sophomore Gabriel Okita, who would put the Threshers up 1-0, making this his third goal of the year. Bethel would keep control after taking the lead. In the 31st minute, McPherson was able to tie the game at 1-1.
Going into halftime, the score would remain tied at one apiece. It would be a back-and-forth first half, as both teams were able to adapt quickly to the game styles and modify their schemes and tactics. Kromwijk ended the half with three saves.
The start of the second half had a fast start, as McPherson, in the first six minutes, was able to get a shot off that would be saved by Kromwijk. This would be a crucial save as Bethel would go on to score in transition from this save.
Okita was able to return the favor to Braggs, as he assisted him for his seventh goal of the year. This would put Bethel up 2 to 1. 15 minutes later, the Bulldogs would respond with a goal of their own to tie the score up 2-2.
“I’m disappointed that we weren’t able to get the victory,” said head coach Juan Zamora. “We must be able to punish and score, or else we can get punished as we did tonight.”
This would be a back-and-forth match-up up but neither team would be able to seek out the victory and would end in a tie. Both goalkeepers would come up big for the team, making crucial saves in the second half to keep their teams alive.
With both of these results, both teams seek to keep their playoff hopes alive in the final weeks. They will host the Friends University Falcons on Saturday. Kick-off is scheduled for 11 a.m. for the women’s with the men’s team to follow.