Hesston vs. Cloud County CC
Sept. 21, 2005, Concordia, Kan.

1st half:  1 HC - Felipe Tafur (unassisted) 19:58

2nd half:  2 HC - Justin Weaver (Eric Schmucker); 3 HC - Felipe Tafur (Richard Idler)

Yellow Cards: 1 CCCC (Levi McMillan)
Red Cards: None

Coach's Summary:  Hesston's soccer team looked to get back on the winning track after a two game losing streak as they visit Cloud County Community College in Concordia. Not exactly ideal conditions for soccer. The temperature was near 100`F and the wind was blowing strong and steadily.
    "I've been coaching here for 5 years now and I don't remember a day this late in September when it was this hot. I was really worried about my guys getting dehydrated and worn out. So we went out late and did a quick warm up and then got to it."
The wind blowing straight up the field would be a definite factor in the game. The Larks would start by going into the wind.
    "When the wind is that strong any coach wants to go with it rather than against it but we quickly realized that we were better off going against it to start. Cloud was trying to play direct and the wind was just carrying the ball right to Chris (the Hesston goalkeeper) every time. Plus, it forced us to play the ball on the ground which got us playing good possession soccer from the start."
    The Larks moved the ball well around the field and had many good opportunities early, but Cloud County keeper Tyler Patzner held strong for the Thunderbirds.
    "We were putting good pressure on them and getting into the final third often but just weren't able to finish."
    But the Larks would find the finishing touch about 20 minutes into the game. Felipe Tafur slipped past a couple of defenders and sliced the ball into the side netting to get the Larks the 1-0 lead.
    "Felipe played a strong game. I was glad to see him get a goal. He's had several opportunities in other games but struggled to put the ball away. As coaches know all it takes to get a forward some confidence is one goal."
    The Larks kept up the pressure and had more opportunities but the half ended 1-0.
    "I was pleased with the way we were playing but couldn't help but be a little nervous with only a one goal lead. We spoke before the game about getting that killer instinct when we have a team down. Well, now was the time to make it happen."
    Just eight minutes into the second half the Larks tallied their second goal of the match. Eric Schmucker fed the ball down the right side to Justin Weaver. Weaver battled his way through two players and tucked the ball into the goal from the near side.
    "That goal that Justin scored was just pure hard work on his part. He made that goal happen by just being determined. We needed that."
    Another eight minutes would elapse before the Larks would get on the board again. Richard Idler found lots of space down the right side to cross the ball to Tafur. Tafur threaded the ball nicely into the opposite side.
    The Thunderbirds would get a few breakaway opportunities late in the game but were constantly stifled by the strong play of Chris Burkholder in goal and defenders Aaron Martin and Jordon Hannon.
    Chris did a good job in goal and did come up big one time, but really a lot of credit for the shut out goes to our defenders and particularly Aaron Martin and Jordon Hannon. They played strong as usual. They're both tough, fast, and smart. They have been doing an outstanding job all season and especially today.
    The Larks continued to pressure Cloud and get more chances but the 3-0 score would stand.
Overall, I thought we played well. You could tell at the end of the game that the extreme heat was getting to a few of the guys, but we held strong. So many guys played well for us today. We kept our composure and played good possession soccer. At times I thought we could have played faster and at times we took unnecessary risks by sending too many defenders forward. But I'm not going to complain. We feel good about our performance and now we're just going to try to build on that for our next games.
    The Larks improved to 3-3 (1-2 in the region). Hesston will take on Region VI opponent Coffeyville Community College on Saturday at Hesston at 7:30 PM.