Decatur, Alabama --- Playing for the first time since 2006 at the Final Site of the NAIA National Tournament, the 4
th seeded Bethel University Men's Soccer Team came away with a big win, shutting out 5
th seed Georgia Gwinnett 3-0 to advance to the national semifinals.
The Pilots first found the back of the net when Junior
Luan Bressy scored early in the sixth minute on a cross from
Andres Gonzalez Maza. Bethel had a few more opportunities to score in the first half, but ultimately settled for the 1-0 lead at the Intermission.
Maza would draw a yellow card in the 37
th minute, and would gain another in the 82
nd minute, forcing the Pilots to play a man down for the final 8 minutes of play.
The disadvantage did not faze Bethel playing with a man down.
Joao de Oliveira scored off an assist from
Tim Noeding to put the Pilots up 2-0 in the 86
th minute. But the day was not done as
Piero Sabroso would draw a foul in the box and score on a Penalty Kick to put the final touch on the 3-0 victory.
"I thought our preparation was great ahead of today's game and will continue to be key for the semi-final on Saturday," said Bethel Head Coach
Thiago Pinto. "The stakes now get much higher and we'll need to be focused on taking care of the small details within our style of play."
The Pilots will play 9
th seed Rio Grande (Ohio) on Saturday, Dec. 3 at 2:00 PM CST. The RedStorm advanced when they upset top seed Mid-America Christian 2-1.
SCORING SUMMARY
'6|
Luan Bressy (BU) assisted by
Andres Gonzalez Maza
'86|
Joao de Oliveira (BU) assisted by
Tim Noeding
'89|
Piero Sabroso (BU) unassisted
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NEXT TIME OUT
- Bethel plays the ninth seed Rio Grande (Ohio) at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday Dec. 3. Check out bupilots.com for how you can watch.
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For the latest information on each of Bethel University's 31 intercollegiate athletic teams, visit BUPilots.com or follow the Pilots on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @BUPilots or YouTube at /BethelSportsNetwork.
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