Wesleyan routs Bethel twice in soccer
By: David Toelle, KWU Sports Information

Heather Muilenburg (right in white) fights off two Bethel opponents in the first half of KWU's 9-0 Women's Soccer win over the Threshers on Wednesday

Kansas Wesleyan’s soccer teams combined for 17 goals while giving up none as the Coyotes routed Bethel College on Wednesday afternoon at the Salina Soccer Complex on East Magnolia Avenue. Wesleyan’s women defeated the Threshers 9-0, while the men followed with a 8-0 win.

In the women’s match, KWU controlled the entire match, outshooting Bethel 34-2, which included a 22-2 advantage in shots on frame.

Eliana Parada had two early shots for the Coyotes in the third and fifth minutes, but it was senior Kat Benton who broke out and scored the first two goals of the match for the Coyotes. Benton’s first came in the sixth minute when she took the ball, dribbled in past Bethel’s defense and fired a chip shot goal past the keeper Kaylee Wiechman.

Benton almost duplicated the play just five minutes later for her second goal. This time she drove in on the right side and got inside the six-yard box and fired a high shot past Wiechman for the score in the tenth minute.

Less than a minute later, Parada was fouled from behind in the penalty box and was awarded a penalty kick, which she converted to the high right corner to make it 3-0 in favor of the Coyotes.

Wesleyan (5-5-1, 2-0 KCAC) then let up their offensive barrage a little for the rest of the half, only getting six more shots the rest of the first half.

The second half was all Wesleyan. The Coyotes controlled the ball nearly the entire match, with Bethel only getting the ball across midfield twice in the second half. Parada scored her second goal of the match and third of the season less than two minutes into the second half. She took a ball just outside the 18-yard box and dribbled in and fired from close range for the score.

Bethel (2-8, 1-1 KCAC) gave Wesleyan a little help of its own in the 50th minute. A ball was sent into the box by Stacey Lastra and Bethel’s Emily Kliewer tried to head the ball back out of the goal area, but instead headed it off the crossbar and into the goal to make it 5-0 Coyotes.

Just four minutes later, Heather Muilenburg took a ball deep into the box and scored from close range. The Coyotes didn’t score again until the 67th minute when Alexa Chico found the net on a fourth rebound after the Coyotes peppered the goal on shots by Brittnie Bernardino, Hannah Kern, and another by Chico before the score all within a few seconds of each other.

The Coyotes added two late goals as Courtney Eargle got her first goal as a Coyote in the 84th minute and Kyra Helin scored in the 86th minute when she took a beautiful pass from Imaan Issa and found the back of the net.

The Coyotes had a couple more chances to score again with three shots in the final three minutes but could not convert.

Muilenburg led the way with seven shots, all on frame, as the Coyotes racked up 34 total shots with 22 of them on frame. Bernardino added five shots off the bench and Parada and Kern each had four shots. Parada and Benton each scored twice, while five other Coyotes scored once. Kelli Beatty got the win in goal, only recording two saves, both in the first half.

Renicia Yoder and Stephanie Schroder had Bethel’s only two shots of the match.

Jose Garay shoots a ball in the first half of KWU's 8-0 win over Bethel on Wednesday. Garay scored three times in the match.

It only took the KWU men 2:03 to score the first goal of the match. Derek Dodrill was the beneficiary of Mario Rodriguez’ pass for the goal past Bethel’s Brady Coffman off the left side. The Coyotes settled into a groove, controlling the ball for a majority of the half until the 34th minute when Rodriguez took a pass off the right side from Robbie Hector, centered the ball and scored easily past Coffman to make it 2-0 Wesleyan.

The Coyotes would take a 2-0 lead into the halftime break. Wesleyan turned on the firepower in the second half, scoring six times to come away with the 8-0 win.

Jose Garay got the first of his three goals of the day when he took a pass from Rodriguez and scored just 1:43 into the second half. Just a minute and a half later Juan Mundo assisted a goal by Jonathan McCormick.  Rodriguez had a chance at two more goals less than a minute apart, but Coffman got a big save and the second shot was high.

Garay got his second of the match in the 52nd minute, when he took a ball down the field and fired a rocket past Coffman to make it 5-0 Coyotes. Garay then capped his hat trick with McCormick delivered him a ball for the score in the 55th minute.

Art Guizar scored goal number seven for the Coyotes on a free kick play. Garay tapped the ball to Guizar who fired past the Bethel wall and Coffman for the score on the left side.

Anthony Russo got the final goal for the Coyotes in the 66th minute when he found a pass from Aldo Luna right in front of the goal and easily put the ball home. KWU coach Mike Dibbini then unloaded the rest of his bench as the reserve players played out the rest of the match for the Coyotes.

Wesleyan (4-6-1, 2-0 KCAC) had several chances to add more goals but sent several balls high, and Coffman was able to make several great saves. The Coyotes shut down the Bethel offense, holding them without a shot for the final 16 minutes of the match.

Garay’s three goals led Wesleyan, while five other players had one goal each. Rodriguez scored one of those five goals and assisted on two others. Garay led Wesleyan with six shots, all on frame, while McCormick had four shots as did Luna off the bench. The Coyotes outshot Bethel 35-4, including a 23-1 advantage in the first half.

Andre Hernandez had two of Bethel’s (0-9, 0-2 KCAC) four shots in the match.

The Coyotes are off until Saturday when they host McPherson College. The matches cap a busy day for KWU athletics as its Homecoming 2008 on Saturday. The matches begin with the women at 6 p.m., followed by the men at about 8 p.m., and will be played at Salina Stadium.

-- KWU SI --