Bulldogs Shut Out York in KCAC Quarterfinals

Photo by Jakob Komel

McPherson, Kan. – The McPherson College men's soccer team hosted the York College Panthers on Saturday in the quarterfinals of the KCAC Conference tournament.

The Bulldogs, seeded fourth, took on the Panthers, who were the tournament's fifth seed at Paul Family Field. Back on October 2, the Bulldogs won the regular season meeting between the two teams 2-0. History would repeat itself on Saturday as the Bulldogs handled the Panthers, ending their season with a loss by the same score.

Conditions at McPherson Stadium were breezy, and the Bulldogs played the first 45 minutes with the wind at their backs. Taking advantage of the conditions, the Bulldogs capitalized 12 minutes in. The Bulldogs nearly connected moments earlier on a free kick. Carlos Reyna floated a beautiful ball to the far post and Sean Thomson put his head on it. If not for a brilliant save by the Panthers' keeper, the Bulldogs would have got on the scoreboard about a minute sooner than they did.

After that sequence the Bulldogs had two corner kicks back to back. On the second one, from the near side of the field, Nipho Methula played the ball into the box. Lucas Williams-Fernandez timed his run perfectly, leaped into the air and headed the ball into the side netting. The Bulldogs had a couple of more chances later in the half, but were unable to find the net again the remainder of the period.

The second half was the polar opposite of the first. The Panthers took advantage of attacking with the wind, and they came out with a renewed energy that they didn't play with in the first 45 minutes. The Panthers won 13 corner kicks in the second half but were unable to convert on any of their free kick opportunities. The Bulldogs on the other hand had just one really good look at net, and they made the most of it. Methula found himself in behind the Panther defense and one on one with the keeper. He fired a shot that the Panther net minder stopped point blank. He was unable to secure the ball however, and it found its way to the foot Marcus Fernandes, who slotted it into the empty net.

The Bulldog defense held the Panthers scoreless the rest of the way to preserve the clean sheet. Colby Swift was brilliant in net for the Bulldogs. He faced 16 corner kicks, and six shots on goal, turning away all of them.

Coach Quint summed up the day saying, "Survive and advance this time of you year is what it's all about! Our seniors set a goal to finish the year undefeated at home. Not only did we accomplish that we also didn't concede today."

With the win, the Bulldogs move to 12-6 overall, and advance to next Wednesday's KCAC tournament semi-finals. They will square off against Oklahoma Wesleyan University, the tournament's top seed at 12:00 pm at the Stryker Complex in Wichita, Kan.