| 1st | 2nd | Final | |
| Hesston | 2 |
1 |
3 |
| Bethel JV | 2 |
0 |
2 |
1st half: 1 HC Felipe Tafur (assist Justin Weaver) 10:48, 2 HC Steve Eriksen (Penalty Kick) 12:10 1 BC Jose Valenzuela (unassisted) 27:58, 2 BC Kurtz Holbert (Penalty Kick) 36:01
2nd half: 3 HC Emanuel Batu (assist Jordan Hannon) 80:07
Yellow Cards: HC:
None BC: 3 Michael Graham, Kurtz Holbert, Jose Valenzuela
Red Cards: HC: None BC: 1 Fon Yenikah
Coach's Summary: The Larks from Hesston College took on the Bethel Threshers JV soccer team in the newly built Thresher Stadium. The Threshers were looking for a little revenge for last year's 1-0 loss to the Larks. The Larks won on a goal in the last 30 seconds of a hard fought game.
But it was Hesston that came out strong from the beginning. Ten minutes into the match, Justin Weaver and Felipe Tafur combined near the top of the box. Felipe finished off the play by slotting the ball into the side netting to put the Larks up 1-0. But Hesston didn't stop there. Just two minutes later Tafur was tripped up in the box, and the Larks were awarded a penalty kick that Steve Eriksen calmly finished off.
"We came out with lots of energy. We weren't playing the type of possession soccer we had worked on, but we were getting good breaks down the side. Felipe was really wreaking havoc on their defenders. When he plays well, he's hard to stop. I was glad to see him get a goal early."
The game was up and down for most of the first half. The Threshers started to find their stride and finally got on the scoreboard with a nice shot from Jose Valenzuela. Ten minutes later, Bethel would get their own penalty kick, when Aaron Martin was called for a handball in the area. Jose Valenzuela's shot was stopped soundly by goalkeeper Joe Donati, but the Threshers were quicker to the rebound and Kurtz Holbert pounded the ball into the netting to tie the game.
"After our second goal, I thought we were really going to crush them. We just clearly looked like the better team. But to Bethel's credit, they really picked up their game and started playing much better."
The second half was a different game altogether. Hesston looked to play more possession and really worked the ball well around the field. At times, the Larks were connecting several passes in a row in the Threshers half of the field, looking for a weakness in the defense. The Larks had several opportunities on goal but most shots were directed at the keeper for easy saves.
"I really like the way we came out the second half. We talked at half time about being more patient and staying together as a team. We wanted to work the ball around and not be so anxious to go forward all the time. And that's exactly what the guys did. It was great fun to watch. But as time wore on, I began to wonder if we were going to get the decisive goal."
With 13 minutes left in the match, and with the Larks dominating the possession, the Threshers were dealt the blow of having Fon Yenikah sent off with a red card. Yenikah was given the ejection for kicking Batu seemingly out of frustration. Now with a man down, the Threshers looked to play more direct and not risk trying to work the ball up.
With 10 minutes left in the match, the Larks finally rippled the twine for the third time to take the lead for good. Emanuel Batu ripped a low hard shot from the right side of the box past the keeper into the far side netting. Hesston's hard work had finally paid off and the Threshers were starting to look beat.
"That was the best half of soccer any of my teams have ever played. We were communicating well and knocking the ball around. The guys worked hard for each other. It was fun to watch. Now if we can just take that style of play, and do it a bit quicker and add a few things, I'd say we're ready to take on anyone in our region. So as well as we played, we can still play better, and that's exciting to think about."
The Larks (1-1) take on Benedictine College JV on Saturday in their first home match of the season.