Men's Soccer Rocks Rival Bethany on Senior Day

McPHERSON, Kan. (macbulldogs.com) --- Nick Torres (McPherson, Kan.) scored a pair of goals and nearly had a third as the McPherson College men's soccer team posted a 3-0 win over rival Bethany College on Senior Day Saturday afternoon at The Kennel.

The Bulldogs (11-4-2, 6-3-1 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference) controlled the pace early as Jesus Pescador (Valencia, Calif.) fired off three shots in the games' first 10:20. McPherson also had a pair of opportunities, including a goal by Torres, waived off by offsides calls.

The hosts finally broke through in the 32nd minute as Reny Benitez (Keller, Texas) fired a shot past Bethany goalkeeper Jose Sanchez off a corner kick by Christopher Kelly (Glasgow, Scotland).

McPherson finished with a 9-5 advantage in shots in the first half and had three corner kicks, but were called offsides four times.

Torres connected twice in the first five minutes of the second half, scoring off a cross from David Mwinga (Santa Rosa, Calif.) in the 48th minute, then successfully converting a penalty kick in the lower left corner of the goal in the 50th minute. He had a couple of other chances later in the half but sent both offerings high and wide before leaving to applause in the 64th minute.

The Bulldogs continued to pressure in the final 45 minutes, holding a 13-5 edge in shots. Each team had four corner kicks and was called for offsides once in the second half.

Pescador finished with a match-high six shots, including two on goal, while Torres and Kelly added four shots apiece. Mwinga (three), Benitez and Jared Robbins (Cotati, Calif.) (two each) also had multiple shots for the Bulldogs.

Aaron Parrott (Wichita, Kan.) made two saves - both in the first half - while maintaining a clean sheet. Sanchez made seven saves in 90 minutes for Bethany (7-6-2, 6-2-2 KCAC).

Jaiden Van Der Heijden had a team-high four shots to lead the Swedes, while Gabriel Goncalves had two shots each.

Saturday was also Senior Day for the Bulldogs, who honored 11 individuals -- Parrott, Torres, Pescador, Trent Keller (Salina, Kan.), Brayam De La Cruz (Bellevue, Idaho), David Nobo (Topeka, Kan.), Elyse Munganga (Topeka, Kan.), Miguel Isidro (El Monte, Calif.), Brandon Lang (Hutchinson, Kan.), Sam Nobo (Topeka, Kan.) and Nathan Stitcher (Rose Hill, Kan.) -- in a pregame ceremony.

Despite the victory, Bethany retains a 1-point lead over McPherson for fourth place in the KCAC standings with just one league match remaining. The top four teams in the final league table host first-round games in the KCAC Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 5.

The final day of the KCAC regular season is Tuesday, Nov. 1. The Swedes invariably have the more difficult task ahead, playing host to a Kansas Wesleyan (11-5-1, 8-1-1 KCAC) team that has already locked up the tournament's No. 2 seed, while the Bulldogs finish up with KCAC newcomer York (5-10-2, 2-7-1 KCAC). Kickoff for McPherson's match is slated for 8 p.m. at McPherson Stadium.