| 1st | 2nd | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hesston | 0 |
1 |
1 |
| Bethel | 0 |
0 |
0 |
1st half: No Score
2nd half: 1 HC 89:48 Brandon Davis (assist Brett Brand)
Shots: HC 13 (10 SOG); BC 13 (8 SOG)
Yellow Cards: 1 HC Brett Brand
Red Cards: None
Coach's Summary: The regular season kicked off for the Larks on a beautiful night with a light southern breeze and the temperature in the upper 70s. It was a perfect night for Hesston to play their neighbor college to the south - Bethel College. The two hundred fans that showed up for the game were in for a treat as both teams played with fire and passion for 90 minutes.
Bethel
College Threshers started with the better play as the Larks played hard
but took several minutes to find their touch. Play was back and forth
for the first 25 minutes as both teams had some good possession but
few dangerous opportunities. The Threshers had the first dangerous chance
on goal with a shot from the left side of the penalty box that whizzed
past the far post. As the game progress the Larks started to find their
rhythm and were able to bottle up the Threshers more and more. As the
half progressed the Larks found themselves more and more in the final
third putting good pressure on their opponents but were struggling to
get the final touch on goal. With time running down Eric Bixler sent
a nicely slotted ball through to an on-rushing Brett Brand who found
himself one-on-one with the keeper but the shot was gobbled up nicely
by the goalkeeper Michael Graham for the Threshers. Thus the half ended
scoreless.
"I was really pleased with the
first half," said Coach Sharp. "I thought we had trouble getting things
going at the beginning but once we got into the flow of the game we
really started playing some good soccer. I was especially pleased with
our defensive play. Defense is something that we have spent the majority
of our time on. But even so I was pleasantly surprised of how quickly
the guys have picked it up. We can still do it better but it's still
very early." Coach Sharp continued by stating, "we also had some
good possession at times. We were moving the ball well from side to
side."
The second half began much the
way the first did but the Larks were quicker to respond. As play progressed
Hesston was able to penetrate to the final third but the Threshers were
solid in the back. "We had the ball several time in the final third
but to Bethel's credit their defenders did a good job of bending but
not breaking. We were getting opportunities on goal but they were not
particularly dangerous for the most part."
As time wore on both teams seemed
to be battling another foe - fatigue. The field started to open up and
both teams were finding space to play into. The Threshers had one of
the best opportunities to score later in the second half when Joel Gaeddert
got the ball full speed on a breakaway. But James Ward shut down the
attack with a nice save on goal. "James did a really nice job in goal
tonight especially considering it is only our first game. He made some
really good decisions and really came up big a few times. It is always
nice to have a keeper that you can rely on when things break down in
front of him now and then."
With 10 minutes remaining the Larks
seemed to find renewed energy by the creative play of Eric Bixler and
the strong presence of Felipe Tafur who was now playing up front instead
of in the back. Hesston was now getting the ball deep into Bethel territory.
Several dangerous crosses in the area fell just out of reach of fellow
attackers. The Larks attacking relentlessly for the final few minutes.
With 12 seconds left on the clock, Brandon Davis ripped a left-footed
shot into the roof of the net to the delight of the 200 plus fans.
Hesston College earned its first win over Bethel
College in many years. "It was great for the guys to get the win. They
really played hard. We played well for the majority of the game. We
were a little disorganized at times but not very often. Getting the
shut out was no small task either. Bethel has some very good forwards.
To keep them off the board is a small victory in and of itself. This
is just what we needed now that we get ready to head into the meat of
our schedule."
The Larks next face Dodge City
Community College in Dodge City on Saturday at 3:00 pm. "I expect Dodge
to be very tough. They have some very good players returning from last
season and their coach has done an outstanding job of getting exceptional
players. I am sure that this year will be the same. Dodge plays very
fast and very physical. We'll need to play better than we did today
but I think we'll be up for the challenge."