Photo by Kami Wood
McPherson, Kan. – The Central Christian College men's soccer team welcomed their neighbors to the north, the Bethany College Swedes to campus on Monday night, making up a game that was originally scheduled for August 27, but was rained out.
The two sides were able to take the pitch this evening, and the game would ultimately be decided by penalty kicks, not at the end of the game in a pk shootout, but rather in three different decisions by the center referee to award a penalty kick during the course of the game.
The first came in the 34th minute of the first half when the Tigers' Drew Schrader was trucked inside the 18 yard box by a Swede defender. The Tiger coaching staff turned to Johnny Rodriguez of the penalty shot, and he delivered a solid strike, untouched into the back of the net. The Tigers carried that one goal advantage for the remainder of the opening half and then 19 minutes into the second frame.
In the 65th minute, with the Swedes threatening, Tyler Hoxie was called for a foul inside the box, trying to poke the ball away from a Bethany attacker. The official determined that Hoxie got too much of the man and not enough of the ball, and the Swedes were awarded a penalty shot of their own. They made good on the attempt, tying the game 1-1.
The Tigers, not wanting to settle for a draw for the second consecutive game, continued to press. With under 10 minutes left in the game, Edoardo Salmosa took on two defenders down the left side. He had a step on them, inside the 18 yard box, and was fouled from behind. The official called a foul, and indicated another penalty kick. This time the honor fell to Hoxie to take the attempt. Looking for a little redemption, his strike was pure, and the ball found nothing but nylon. The end result was the game winner, as the Tigers held off the Swedes down the stretch for a 2-1 advantage.
Coach Hoxie summed up the Tigers' performance saying, "What a gutsy performance from these guys. A classic CCCK grinder. I'm very happy with the result, especially considering we are coming off of only two days rest against a tough opponent. These guys never let fatigue be an excuse, they kept their standard tonight."
He added, "I thought that, once again, we had done enough to win the game based on our first half performance. I never felt like we were in any danger and had the game under control. As the second half wore on, and we lost a key player to injury, things began crack a little. We should have put them away when the chances were there. But it was a just result in the end, and I couldn't be happier with it."
He finished by exhorting the Tiger faithful saying, "Once again, the student body showed up to give us fantastic support! The atmosphere was electric! These kids are really embracing our team, and it's fun to be a part of."
With the win, the Tigers move to 2-0-1 on the season. They will leave the friendly confines of their home pitch for the first time this season, when they head south to Texas for a two game road trip against Arlington Baptist (Friday), and then Texas College (Saturday).
