Bulldogs Win Late, 1-0 Over USM

Photo by Junior Silva
Article by Marcus Fernandes

McPherson, Kan. - The McPherson College men's soccer team stepped on the field Saturday for their third KCAC match. The Bulldogs did not show their best version in the game, but they had enough to defeat the Spires 1-0.

 The game had both teams trying to retain possession of the ball. The Bulldogs had their lines high on the field, while the spires initially played with a low block. The Bulldogs did a good job preventing the spires from getting out of the pressure and keeping the ball. The first half did not have much action as both teams struggled to explore gaps on the field. 

The Bulldogs came back for the second half with better recognition of the spaces to attack. With improvement in the passes and decisions, they started to be more dangerous. On the other hand, the Spires began to play a more direct game. The change also made them improve on the game. MC was the better team in the second half, but the spires caused problems when they won the second ball off the goal kicks.

The second half remained scoreless late into the period. When it looked like the game was heading to overtime, The Bulldogs cracked the scoreboard with a late goal to win the game. Taking advantage of the Spires' exposed backline, (So.) Jorge Ramos carried the ball forward and passed to (Sr.) Carlos Reyna. The Bulldog forward received the ball on the left wing and performed his original move of bringing the ball inside on his right foot. After beating the defender, the number 11 finished the ball from the top of the box on the far corner, upper 90.

Although the late goal, the Spires did not give up on the game. With one minute to the end of the match, the Saint Mary team had their best chance in the game. But thanks to (So.) Colby Swift, who made an amazing save after a one versus one, the Bulldogs finished the game with the win and the clean sheet.

"We dominated play, but we just couldn't find anything to show for it until the end," said Bulldog head coach Doug Quint.  

With the win, the Bulldogs move to 5-3 overall and 2-1 in the KCAC. They will try to get on a winning streak on Wednesday when they host Avila University. The kickoff will be at 7:30 p.m.