After a loss to Park University in the season opener, the Baker University men’s soccer team bounced back to collect wins over Kansas Wesleyan University and Bethel College.
With the support of its many fans at Liston Stadium, the ‘Cats cruised to a 3-0 victory over the Coyotes in the team’s home opener.
Head coach Alan Koch said he was pleased with the team’s efforts.
“I was very, very happy with our performance against Kansas Wesleyan,” he said. “We did a good job of controlling the tempo of the game and scoring three goals helps us maximize our Longo points for postseason.”
Junior Matt Hodges and sophomores Sebastian Koepf and Kome Okiomah each found the net as Baker won in dominating fashion.
Goalkeeper Alex Burton and the Baker defense kept Kansas Wesleyan off the scoreboard as Burton recorded his first collegiate shutout.
Senior Josh McDaniel said the young ‘keeper has continued to improve.
“Alex is doing a great job for us in goal,” he said. “He just needs to keep improving because we are going to need him in big games down the road.”
Saturday the Wildcats traveled to North Newton where they faced the Bethel College Threshers.
After displaying a subpar performance in the first half of the match, Baker found itself down 1-0 at the break. However, in the second half, the ‘Cats managed to slowly take control of the game as Koepf and sophomore Matt Germain each registered a goal in the team’s 2-1 victory.
Koepf tied the game when he placed a cross from junior Micah Nelson into the goal. Then, Germain netted the game-winner off a header from freshman Matt Griffin from the six-yard box.
Koch said he wasn’t pleased with the team’s first-half effort.
“Our guys didn’t show up in the first half,” he said. “After the game Thursday, our guys might have thought they were better than we are, and Bethel has a very good team. You can’t just show up. You have to go out there and work hard to grind out a result.”
Koch said the team showed him something in the second half it lacked last year.
“We did a much better job as we closed down spaces and made life difficult for them,” he said. “And thankfully we managed to score two goals. I will give my guys credit though, last year in a game like that we would have lied down. This year, they figured it out and found a way to win.”
Hodges said he was please with the win.
“We know we didn’t play well, and we weren’t satisfied with that effort, but the most important thing is we got a win,” he said.
