First Win for Wolfpack Soccer

Bemdiji, MN – The afternoon in Bemidji was an extremely hot and dry one for mid-September in Northern Minnesota, but the field was set for a competitive matchup against a National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) North Region rival, Trinity Bible College (Ellendale, ND).

Trinity came out very strong, with a goal being scored within the first minute of the game. This seemed to have lit a fire in Sophomore Co-Captain, Caleb Hower (Rapid City, SD), who went on to be a part of the 3 first-half goals scored by the Wolfpack. Hower scored 2 and assisted on the third.

After the initial goal went in for the Lions, the Wolfpack put up a strong defense only allowing one more goal in the final minutes of the 1st half. Isaac Korell (Huron, SD), who started in goal for Oak Hills, ended the half with 4 of his 7 saves on some tough shots from Trinity.

Going into the 2nd half, the Wolfpack and the Lions traded possession and both had chances on goal, but 14 minutes into the 2nd half, the Wolfpack got a nice transition goal from Hower with a great assist from the defensive end and Freshman, Noah Larson (Prior Lake, MN). Less than 4 minutes later, Oak Hills Co-Captain, Kade Hanson (Thief River Falls, MN), got an excellent ball through from Hower, and buried the team"s fifth goal in the back of the net to put the Wolfpack up 5-2.

The Lions began pushing and grinding out more possession of the ball and were finally able to answer with their 3rd goal with just under 20 minutes left to play bringing the score to 5-3.

The game had more back-and-forth possessions, and Hower was almost able to get loose for another breakaway, but an injury during his run forced him to come off the field for medical attention. This caused the Wolfpack to have to play down a man until it could be determined if Hower could return to play.

With 5 minutes left to play, Hanson received a great through ball from Freshman, Ben Chavez (Woodbury, MN), and put his 2nd goal of the half into the net.

Having played the whole game with no subs, and also being down a man for roughly 10 minutes, the Wolfpack's defense stumbled as the Lions were able to score just a minute after Hanson's goal to bring the score to 6-4. With a foul in the box just 3 minutes later, the Lions were able to put away a penalty shot to bring the score to within one at 6-5.

With less than 2 minutes left, Hower re-entered the game in a defensive position to help stave off the Lions last ditch effort to even the score. The game ended with the Wolfpack earning their first win in program history, beating the Trinity Lions with a score of 6-5.

The Wolfpack were led to their victory with huge nights from their Co-Captains, Caleb Hower and Kade Hanson. With all six of their goals having been either scored by or assisted by Hower or Hanson, they both made huge impacts for their team.

When asked to comment on the game, Coach Joel Juni had this to say, "After the extremely early goal, the guys adjusted and fixed their mistakes. I was really proud of the way we fought back and gained a lead that we were able to keep the rest of the game and obtain our first win in program history. It feels nice to get a win under our belt and I'm looking forward to getting another in the near future! More importantly, I'm looking forward to seeing how the guys
continue to glorify the Lord and love others well, no matter the outcome."

The Lions played a great game. They scored their season high of 5 goals in the match-up. The Lions were led by Junior, Damian Myers (Gillette, WY), who scored a Hat Trick of his own, along with an assist.

Other great contributors for the Wolfpack were Junior, Colin Schwarz (Blaine, MN) who scored a goal in the first half, and Senior Deacon Bock (Blaine, MN) who had an outstanding defensive performance that included six blocked shots. Korell ended his match in the goal with 7 saves on the day.

Photo provided by Ella Gunnerson