Hesston vs. Neosho County CC
Oct. 7, 2005, Hesston, Kan.

1st half:  1 NC Brad Hamm (unassisted) 14:16; 2 NC Zak Fox (unassisted) 19:40

2nd half: 3 NC Brad Hamm (Louis Dos Santos) 66:53

Yellow Cards: NCCC - 1 (Martin Jensen)
Red Cards: None

Coach's Summary: Hesston College took on Neosho County CC at home on a perfect fall afternoon. But the day would prove less than perfect for the Larks.
    "You couldn't ask for a better evening. It was a little chilly but not too bad and almost no wind. So it was a great night to play."
    Both sides started strong but it was Hesston College that had the better possession. The Larks moved the ball well and at times were able to possess the ball in Neosho's half for minutes at a time. But a bad pass in the back would give Neosho their first golden opportunity. Brad Hamm stole a pass and had a clear breakaway that he did not spoil putting Neosho up 1-0 fourteen minutes into the match.
    "We were playing so well but one mistake cost us the first goal. Their forward has some good speed. Our defenders are fast but so was #4. A few steps is all he needed."
    Five minutes later Neosho would capitalize on a poorly cleared corner kick and knock the ball into the side netting for a 2-0 lead. And that's how the first half would end.
    "Defensively we just weren't playing with enough urgency at times. They have some dangerous forwards, but we gave them two easy opportunities."
    The second half Hesston remained the team with the better possession but had trouble getting that final shot on goal.
    "I was actually pleased with our effort and the way we were moving the ball but they did a nice job of getting numbers behind the ball and clogging up the middle. We played a strong game through the first two thirds of the field but we just couldn't get space in the final third."
    Another quick counter attack mid way through the second half and some tenacious play by Brad Hamm and Neosho would increase their lead to 3-0.
    "Hamm proved to be a very dangerous player. Without him they don't score three goals on us. He's fast and very skilled. They do a great job of defending hard and counterattacking. They never really did try to possess the ball. It was clear they wanted to get forward as quickly as possible and it worked for them. We clearly had the better possession especially in the second half. But games aren't decided on who has the ball more. They finished and we didn't and it's that simple."
    The Larks continued to put pressure on Neosho but the game ended 3-0.
    "You never like to lose but I can't be too upset with the guys. We made a few critical mistakes but overall we played the way we wanted to. Several players in particular had very strong games including Justin Weaver, Emanuel Batu, Anthony Warfel, Anthony Geissinger, and Aaron Martin. Justin Weaver played a very good game and really made Neosho work hard to defend. But really I can't say that anyone on our team had a bad game. It was a hard fought game. We now just need to take that work ethic and that kind of passing and do a better job in the final third. We're still in position to get into the post season. So we just need to keep working hard and improving. If we can become a more creative team in the final third I think we'll be a dangerous team in the post season regardless of who we play."
    "Anyone who doesn't know better will look at our record and think that we've dropped off from last year. But the truth is that we are a much better team than last year. And our region from top to bottom is much much stronger. Our schedule is much more difficult as well. Last year we were just able to find ways to win. We played strong defense and just counterattacked. This year we're actually able to possess the ball and play good attractive soccer. We're just struggling to get goals right now. When we figure that out I like our chances against anybody. And if we can get Steve Eriksen back next week we'll be looking even that much better. Steve is one of our captains and a leader on the field. So not having him has hurt us. But he's getting better and we hope to have him for the Dallas trip and then the post season."
    The Larks drop to 4-7 on the season and 2-6 in regional play. Things don't get any easier for Hesston as they face their third nationally ranked team this season - Barton County Community College. Barton comes into this next week ranked 8th in the NJCAA national poll. The other two nationally ranked teams the Larks have played are 4th ranked Johnson County CC and 11th ranked Northern Oklahoma - Tonkawa. The game against Barton will be in Great Bend, KS on Tuesday, October 11 at 4:00pm and will finish out regular season regional play for the Larks. Hesston finishes out the regular season with games against Mountain View College, Cedar Valley College, and a home game against Bethel College. Post season play begins October 25.