On a rare, early September evening in Haviland, KS, the weather was unusually pleasant as the Bears took the field for the 7:00 PM start with NCCAA Southwest Region opponent, Hillsdale Free Will Baptist (Moore, OK). On this night, the Bears flashed moments of soccer brilliance en route to a 3-0 shut out over the Saints.

The Bears were a team on a mission in the first half, controlling possession and creating droves of scoring opportunities. After several missed opportunities, Freshman Julio Cobo (Katy, TX) proved to be a difference maker. In the 9th minue he found himself head-on with Saints goalkeeper and easily scored his second goal of this early season. Then in the 30th minute Cobo amazingly bent in a corner kick to put the Bears up 2-0, and they weren’t done yet. One minute before the half, Sophomore Melvin Lara (Katy, TX) received a cross from Sophomore defender Pedro Chavez (Lakin, KS) and tapped it in from close range to stretch the lead to 3-0 at the halfway point.

Although the Bears played with less zeal in the second half than they did in the 45 minutes, they were able to find a way to preserve the win, 3-0. The Saints generated many more scoring opportunities in the second half, but Bears’s Freshman Goalkeeper David Hernandez (Atascadero, CA) was up to the task, saving five shots on goal, including a penalty kick in the final five minutes, to record his first shut out of the season.

Thursday, September 4th the Bears take on #5 Manhattan Christian College (Manhattan, KS) in Haviland, KS at 7:30 PM CST. Even though it is early in the season, this game will have a huge impact on the final standings of the Midwest Christian College Conference standings.