A two-time all-conference player, Gingerich, a captain, was voted team MVP as a senior. Gingerich is a four-year Scholar Athlete who will study engineering at Hesston.

“I’m excited to have signed Nate,” Hostetler said. “He’s an intelligent player that can read the game well and I expect he’ll have a positive impact in our defensive back line. Nate has the competitiveness, personality and demeanor that will fit well in our team culture. I look forward to watching him grow during these next two years.”

Gingerich attends Waterford Mennonite Church, Goshen. He is the son of David and Marge Gingerich, Goshen.  

The teams traded early goals in the first 10 minutes and took a 1-1 tie into halftime. NKTC scored two goals early in the second half to seemingly take control, but Hesston fought back and got the equalizer with just five minutes to play.

NKTC found the back of the net three minutes into overtime, however, to end the match. NKTC had a 11-7 shots-on-goal advantage for the game.

“I’m extremely proud of the way that our team continued to play through to the end,” said Hesston coach Kurt Hostetler. “That has been one of the great qualities of this team. They’ve remained unified and encouraging and have been a pleasure to coach.”  

Hesston took a commanding lead just two minutes after intermission when sophomore Tim Bixler (Indianapolis, Ind.) found the back of the net to give the Larks a 3-0 advantage. Independence converted a penalty kick to make it 3-1 in the 57th minute, but Bixler scored again just three minutes later to restore the three-goal lead.

After Independence converted three times in 17 minutes to knot the match at 4-4, Hesston freshman Jose Rodriguez (Harrisonburg, Va.) scored in the 83rd minute that proved to be the difference maker.

“We made it hard on ourselves this game,” said Hesston coach Kurt Hostetler. “We were in the driver seat most of the way, but the momentum swung in their favor and before we knew it, the score was tied. Thankfully, we were able to capitalize one more time to bring home the victory. Despite the let down, I’m proud of the guys for battling through to get the win, especially on the road.”

The Larks return home for a key Region VI match versus Northwest (Goodland) Kansas Technical College on Tuesday, Oct. 2, at 7 p.m.

Trailing 1-0 at the half, Hesston freshman Doug Fagan (Surprize, Ariz.) scored the equalizer in the 57th minute. Julio Hernandez (Wichita, Kan.) and Luis Ramirez (Tachira, Venezuela) added goals in the final 20 minutes to set the final.The Larks enjoyed a 10-4 advantage in shots-on-goal.

“This was a good win for us; a much needed win,” said Hesston coach Kurt Hostetler. “I thought we started slow tonight, but the guys really stepped it up in the second half. We wanted to put Tabor under a lot of pressure and didn’t do a good enough job of that in the first half but came out strong in the final 45 minutes.”

Coffeyville scored just before the half to make it 1-0 before tacking on a pair of second-half goals. The Red Ravens outshot Hesston 7-0.

“Despite the score, it was a much better game for us,” said Hesston coach Kurt Hostetler. “I felt we executed our game plan pretty well tonight, aside from not scoring any goals. If we continue to play with the effort that we gave for most of the game tonight, we should be able to turn this slump around.”

The Larks look to get in the win column when they host Tabor College JV (Hillsboro, Kan.) on Thursday, Sept. 20 at 7 p.m.

Freshman Garrett Byler (Belleville, Pa.) scored the lone Hesston goal to give the Larks a 1-0 halftime advantage, but Crowder came out strong after intermission to earn the win. Sophomore keeper Marcus Barbosa (Fort Washington, Md.) stopped 10 shots in the loss.

“Fatigue beat us today,” said Hesston coach Kurt Hostetler. “We were up 1-0 at half time but were quickly losing gas. Tactically, I’ve seen improvement from our two scrimmages, so I think we’ve made progress. We have a few training days to increase our fitness and prepare for Dodge City.”

The Larks open Region VI play on Wednesday, Aug. 29, when they host Dodge City (Kan.) CC at 7 p.m.

17 freshmen, along with a pair of sophomores that didn’t play a year ago suit up for the Larks this year. Five returners round out the 24-man roster, including captains Broxton Busenitz (North Newton, Kan.) and Luis Ramirez (Tachira, Venezuela).

“We have a solid group with good soccer knowledge and individual skills that will definitely help this team improve,” Hostetler said. “Our strength lies in our defense. We’ll be young, but there is strong talent in this freshman class.”

Highlights of Hesston’s schedule include a home contest against the 2011 NJCAA National Champions Cloud County CC (Concordia, Kan.), and a Fall Break trip to Dallas, Texas, in mid-October when the Larks play Southwestern Adventist University and Dallas Christian College. 

“I’m expecting us to increase our wins from the past couple of seasons,” Hostetler added. “ We have a young squad and might have some growing pains, but I think this group will be able to learn from hard times and will bring it together as we move through our schedule. So far they’ve done an excellent job of that.”

The Larks open with a trip to Neosho, Mo., to take on Crowder College on Saturday, Aug. 25 at 2 p.m.

• Garrett Byler, central midfield/forward, Belleville (Pa.) Mennonite School
• Doug Fagan, sweeper/forward, Willow Canyon High School, Surprise, Ariz.
• Ian Hall, keeper, Augusta (Kan.) High School
• Tyler Roth, center midfielder, Western Mennonite School, Salem, Ore.
• William Wyatt, defense/midfield, Rose Hill (Kan.) High School

“I’m very pleased to add this kind of talent,” Hostetler said. “All five of these players will have a chance to compete for early playing time this fall and I’m anxious to see what contributions they bring to the program and our campus. Garrett, Doug, Ian, Tyler and William represent a big part of the freshman class.”

Freshman Iago Cardoso (Bridgewater, Va.) found the back of the net 14 minutes in to give Hesston the lead, then scored again with a booming shot from the left side two minutes later to make it 2-0. Cardoso’s goals, assisted by Diogo Durante (Bridgewater, Va.) and Luis Ramirez (Tachira, Venezuela), gave a big home crowd plenty to cheer about on a chilly night, as the Larks controlled the game from start to finish.

Freshman Tyler Huneycutt (Wichita, Kan.) added a goal in the 55th minute, assisted by Durante, to set the final.

“This was a great way to end the season,” said Hesston coach Kurt Hostetler. “The guys were able to put together 90 solid minutes of soccer. I’ve felt we’ve been improving as the season went on. Winning at home to end the season feels good.”

Hesston finishes the 2011 season with consecutive victories and a 5-12 overall record.

Luis Ramirez (Tachira, Venezuela) opened the scoring for the Larks with an unassisted goal five minutes in that marked the beginning of a huge night for the freshman forward. In the 18th minute, freshman Avery Emmert (Maize, Kan.) found the back of the net, assisted by Ramirez, making it 2-0 Larks.

Minutes after the break, Ramirez went to work again, scoring in the 52nd minute off a Steven Arroyo (Wichita, Kan.) assist. York added a late goal before Arroyo put an exclamation on the evening with a goal of his own, assisted by Namrud Miruts (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia).

“We had good intensity tonight and were able to capitalize on some of our opportunities,” said Hesston coach Kurt Hostetler. “Tyler Huneycutt made several good saves to keep York out of our goal for most of the night. It’s great to get this win – we still have work to do to continue to improve, but this was a good effort.”

The Larks welcome Crowder College to the Hesston campus for a match on Saturday, Oct. 1, beginning at 6 p.m.