August 26th marked the date for the first Barclay College Men’s Soccer game for the 2014 season. They took on a talented junior varsity squad from Oklahoma Wesleyan University (Bartlesville, OK) in an exhibition match before beginning their regular season schedule this coming Saturday.

It was a muggy evening match in Haviland, KS  that was filled with excitement and drama. The Bears were slightly undermanned for the contest as they continue to solidify their roster for the regular season, but it did not matter one bit. In front of packed stands, decked out in red, the Bears gave them plenty to cheer about. Freshman Julio Cobo (Katy, TX) got some space in the 7th minute and found the back corner of the net to put the Bears in front early. The remainder of the half was a battle with both teams playing hard and keeping possession. The score remained 1-0 in favor of the Bears heading into halftime.

In the second half, the Eagles played a desperate brand of soccer, picking up four yellow cards for a variety of offenses, ranging from hard fouls to misconduct from the bench. Eventually, they were able to knot the score up at 1-1 in the 66th minute. The Eagles continued to pressure the Bears, but the back line stood the test and the midfielders competed valiantly. Then in the 81st minute, Freshman reserve, Austin Ghelarducci (Derby, KS) sent a great through ball to Freshman Tyler Wright (Wichita, KS) who calmly placed the ball in the back net from near the 18 yard line. With the Bears back in front 2-1, they played energized and even though Freshman Goalkeeper Josh Herndandez (Atascadero, CA) piled up five saves on the match in an incredible performance, the Eagles were able to capitalize on one mistake in the 85th minute to tie the game. The final score ended up being 2-2.

The Bears are back in action this Saturday as they take on a Midwest Christian College Conference opponent in Calvary Bible College (Belton, MO) at 2:00 PM in Haviland, KS. It will be the Bears first regular season game.