Bulldogs Come Back Twice to Defeat Friends

Photo by Natalia Ahrens

Wichita, Kan. – There is a fierce rivalry on the soccer pitch between the McPherson College Bulldogs and the Friends University Falcons. The two teams renewed that rivalry on Saturday night on the Falcons' home turf down in Wichita.

The Bulldogs came from behind twice in the game to secure a 4-2 victory, and earn their first win of the year, moving their record to 1-1-1. After a tough opening loss to Sterling two weeks ago, the Bulldogs have been on a steady incline the past two weeks. They had a positive result a week ago, earning a 1-1 draw against a very talented USAO side, and then played superb in today's win against the Falcons.

The Falcons drew first blood on Saturday, scoring in the 10^th minute, but the Bulldogs responded nine minutes later on the equalizer off the boot of Carlos Reyna (Sr. Hutchinson, Kan.) off of an assist from Antoine Detavernier (So. Brugge, Belgium). In the 23^rd minute the Falcons found the net a second time, but again the Bulldogs fought back and responded with the equalizer. The Bulldogs' second goal came late in the first half off the foot of Marcus Fernandes (Sr. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) assisted by Nhlakanipho Mehtula (Jr. Durban, South Africa).

Tied 2-2 at the break, the Bulldogs continued to build on the momentum that they gained with that late goal in the first half. Twenty-five minutes into the second half, Sean Thomson (Jr. Dorset, England), broke the tie when he dribbled for 40 yards through multiple Falcon defenders to find the back of the net unassisted. A minute later Diego Santibanez (Fr. Anna, Texas) gave the Bulldogs an insurance goal, the first of his career. The goal was a beautiful volley, assisted by Austin Cuevas (Sr. Mesquite, Texas) and Jorge Abdiel Ramos-Hernandez (So. Jalisco, Mexico).

"I am very proud of the boys tonight," said Bulldog head coach Doug Quint. "We put together 90 minutes of good football against a tough opponent on the road. The chances we created in possession were a direct result of some of the things we have been doing in training. It was so pleasing to see them convert those chances. I love the resilience we showed coming back after conceding the lead twice. We continue to grow & improve every day."

The Bulldogs will look to start a winning streak next Friday when they go on the road to take on the York College Panthers, the team that bounced them from the KCAC playoffs last season. Kick-off will follow the women's game at approximately 3:30.