MISHAWAKA, Ind. — In the final game of the Fall Classic, the NAIA sixth-ranked Bethel Pilots (2-0-1) defeated the William Woods Owls (1-1-2) on Saturday afternoon 1-0 after Manuel Garcia’s goal and gave themselves a positive going into week two of the season.
The Owls held possession for a lot of the early minutes of the match with shots put up in the third, seventh, and twice in the eleventh, but Manuel Garcia battled 1-on-1 with a defender to find a cross-net look and score in the 15th minute to give the Pilots their lone goal.
The Pilots had good looks at the net throughout the match but were met with good backlines that disrupted crosses and touches inside the box which limited Bethel to seven shots but took five that were on frame. William Woods took 12 total shots but only had two on goal which resulted in two saves for Davi Tavares who debuted for the Pilots and earned his first career win.
The all-time series features the Pilots leading 2-0-0 against the Owls and getting their first win at home. The Owls tied NAIA seventh-ranked Grace College on Thursday and could potentially give Bethel an edge in the next NAIA Coaches Poll released early next week.
“We were not consistent enough with our build-up play. We struggled with our decision-making in the simple things, but thankfully we grinded out and found a way to win. One important positive was that our bench came in and contributed. We have a tough stretch ahead and need to be mentally rested and prepared,” said head coach of the Bethel Pilots Thiago Pinto.
NEXT TIME OUT
The Pilots gear up to face two good programs at the MOBA Soccer Complex in Atlanta, Ga. on Saturday, Aug. 31 against the Keiser (Fla.) Seahawks at 5 p.m. and will take on Rio Grande (Ohio) on Monday, Sept. 2 at 11 a.m.