1st | 2nd | Final | |
---|---|---|---|
North Iowa |
1
|
1
|
2
|
Hesston |
2
|
1
|
3
|
1st half: 1 (NIACC) Adam Pals (assist Pat Toay); 1 HC Michael
Swartzendruber (unassisted); 2 HC Craig Mast (assist Philip Hartzler)
2nd half: 3 HC Raul Martinez (assist Philip Hartzler); 2 NIACC
Steve Larsen (unassisted)
Shots: HC 13 (5 SOG); NIACC 10 (SOG 9)
Saves: HC Danny Yoder 7; NIACC Tyler Shipman 2
Coach's Summary: If there was ever a Hesston College soccer
game that non-soccer fans would have enjoyed, this was the one. It was
a wild affair as the Larks faced North Iowa Area Community College for
the first time ever. I had no idea of what to expect from them
(NIACC). I had no scouting report. All I knew was that they played Allen
County Community College (one of our Region VI opponents) last year
and lost. On paper they were similar to us in that they have a lot of
freshmen. Their coach was in his first year there but had plenty of
coaching experience otherwise. We just tried to prepare for them like
they were one of our other Regional opponents.
Hesston dominated play early, controlling
the midfield from the start and getting several opportunities on goal
but unable to finish. NIACC broke the tie first when a bad Hesston give
away in the back third gave Adam Pals a golden opportunity at the top
of the eighteen which he finished nicely into the left corner of the
net. That goal was pretty demoralizing for us. We were putting
all the pressure on them and yet they got the first goal. Hesston
continued to press NIACCs defense and finally rippled the net
when Michael Swartzendruber took a Jared Coblentz pass directly up the
middle and slotted home the tying goal. I was really pleased to
see our team come back and play strong. The guys refused to let down
and eventually it paid off.
Hesston used the momentum of the
first goal to get the go ahead goal just one minute later. Philip Hartzler's
free kick from the right corner of the field was headed in by Craig
Mast. Hesston continued to mount the pressure but NIACC began to mount
some pressure of their own. They werent having much success
in midfield and their defenders were struggling to contain our forwards.
So they decided to play much more direct. Their defense and keeper were
more than content to boom the ball up to their forwards. They had a
couple of really quick forwards but for the most part we were able to
keep them in check.
The second half was an up and down
wild contest that gave the fans much to cheer about. NIACC continued
to play their direct style but were either thwarted by the Larks defense
or the stellar play of Danny Yoder. Danny made several fantastic
saves. Thats the most dominant display Ive seen by a keeper
at this level in the three years that Ive been here at Hesston
bar none.
With 10 minutes to go in the match Raul Martinez extended Hesstons
lead to 3-1. Philip Hartzler sent a nice free kick from just beyond
midfield into the box. NIACC misplayed the ball and Martinez was right
there to slam the ball into the empty net.
Hesston appeared to have things wrapped up until Steve Larson capitalized
on a defensive miscue and slipped the ball into the corner of the net
with under a minute to play. But it was too little too late for NIACC.
NIACC was no push over team. They gave us a very good game I was
glad we were able to come out on top. Honestly it could have gone the
other way. Both teams had plenty of opportunities to score. Its
good to win games when you know that you made some mistakes. It means
that we have lots of room for improvement.
Offensively we were very aggressive.
We were going a little more direct than I usually like to go but it
worked. Our forwards did an outstanding job of getting behind and in
between their defenders. We did a great job controlling the midfield.
Honestly we could have had four or five more goals easily had we just
put more of our shots on frame. Defensively were getting better
but there are still some things we have to sort out. They also could
have had a few more goals except for the excellent play by Danny. If
we can shore up things better in the back and not make silly mistakes
I think well be fine against any one of our opponents. We are
young and the guys are still learning to play together. I have complete
confidense in the guys to be able to play much much better in the back.
Im extremely proud of all the guys and the effort they put into
this game. It was good to get a win against a good opponent even if
it wasnt the prettiest of games.
The Larks next face Region VI and preseason Nationally ranked (#10)
Barton County Community College in Great Bend. Barton will be a very
big challenge for us. We will have to play better than we did against
NIACC if we want a chance to win. But the high quality of our opponents
is what makes playing in our Region so exciting.