(Box Score) Mishawaka, IN — Something strange happened with 1:03 remaining in regulation at Friday night’s Mid-Central Conference men’s soccer match-up between Bethel College and Goshen.
A volleyball match broke out.
The host Pilots made use of a volleyball-like spike to redirect a corner kick into the back of Goshen’s net at the game’s 88:57 mark, completing a remarkable come-from-behind push that left nearly everyone at the Bethel College Soccer Stadium stunned. After coming back to tie the game at 1-1 just under three minutes earlier, the Pilots’ Eric Carpenter scored his second goal of the evening — albeit in an unconventional method — pushing the ball into the net with his forearm.
As Goshen players raced behind the center official to plead their case following the apparent illegal score, it was for naught. The goal was upheld and Bethel hung on to a crucial, 2-1 MCC victory.
“This was just another classic tale of the Bethel College-Goshen College rivalry,” said an exasperated Tavi Mounsithiraj, Goshen head coach, afterward. “Almost everyone, including fans, friends and families of Bethel, saw that the goal scored was handed in by (Carpenter). But the person that needed to see what happened off that corner kick was the man wearing the yellow jersey, the most powerful man on the field, the center official.”
The late-game controversy overshadowed what otherwise was a stellar display of men’s soccer, as the teams’ tangled in what has always been a fierce rivalry. With Goshen and Bethel splitting its last four decisions and combining to win at least a share of the last eight MCC Championships, Friday night’s match-up did not disappoint.
Goshen got on the board first when senior Nate Montiel was able to make use of impeccable timing at the 41:55 mark, scoring his first goal of the season in the process. Sophomore Luke Woodworth sailed a corner kick into the box, and junior David Shenk was there for a header attempt. His shot was deflected by Pilots’ goalkeeper Terry Scott, but Scott cleared the ball into the immediate path of Montiel, who blasted the ball into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead.
“Going into the half with a one-nil lead was a nice cushion to have, especially for our younger guys that had not experienced a Bethel-Goshen match before,” Mounsithiraj said. “This is not just an MCC contest. If students from both institutions never see a soccer match the rest of the year, they all come to this one.”
Mounsithiraj again made sure to make a visual statement Friday night, decking his team out in black and orange — yes, orange — uniforms for the occasion. The sight brought back memories from last year’s regular-season tilt between the sides, as Goshen then donned gold jerseys (click here for related article).
This evening, a packed house made the environment electric on the Bethel College campus, and — with emotions running high — physical play dominated the second half. The Pilots slowly began to control possession as the game wore on, eventually taking six second-half corner kicks to Goshen’s two. (The Leafs maintained a three to zero advantage in that category during the first 45 minutes of play.)
“I thought the match was a little too physical for our side but I thought we did a great job of keeping possession early,” Mounsithiraj said. “At halftime our guys knew how hard Bethel would come out and push for an equalizer.”
The Pilots’ efforts seemed to increase as the game clock wore down, as Bethel began sending all players but Scott into the offensive half of the field looking to tie the game.
With 3:55 remaining in regulation, those attempts were rewarded. Bethel’s Jason Richardson sent a cross into the goal mouth and a dangerous bang-bang play followed. Carpenter was there to block a clearing attempt from a Goshen defender, sending the ball directly upward off a hard bounce off the turf. With Leafs’ freshman goalkeeper Anthony Giovarelli leaping, the ball crept just inches over his fingertips, settling into the top of the net just behind the cross bar.
“I thought we did a good job keeping them off the scoreboard but that missed clearance on our part cost us a goal,” Mounsithiraj said. “That ball was up in the air for what seemed like forever. It was tough luck on our part.”
If the Pilots’ first score would be “tough luck,” Mounsithiraj would be altogether disconcerted just moments later. Using a counter-attack that was fortunately thwarted off the end line by the Goshen defense, Bethel would set up the corner kick heard round the world, or at least Mishawaka. Richardson sent a beautiful ball into the box, sailing all the way to the far post before Carpenter was there to slam the ball into the net for a 2-1 Pilots’ advantage.
As the center official signaled for time to be stopped following a score, Goshen’s players began to go ballistic. Nearly all of the Leafs’ players on the field chased after the referee, slapping their arms in an obvious appeal: Carpenter had used his forearm to redirect the ball into the back of the net.
Despite a later admission of guilt from a variety of Bethel constituents, the goal was allowed. With just 1:03 remaining on the game clock, Goshen had no time to mount any type of return attack, as a 40-yard Hail Mary shot from senior Tony Janzen went begging wide left in desperation.
“It was clear that (Bethel’s second goal) was handed in,” Mounsithiraj said. “Unintentional or intentional it was still a goal, and the referee did not see it. What a way to lose a match.”
The score was the final straw for many Goshen fans in attendance, as many thought the game was entirely too physical. Twenty-five total fouls were called, while the Leafs’ best chance to add to their lead may have come at the game’s 74:31 mark. It was at that point that Janzen broke free down the left side of the field, and looked to have an apparent one-on-one opportunity with Scott.
The Pilots’ Humberto Trejo was able to catch up to Janzen, however, bringing him down in a football-like tackle around the shoulders and torso. The act landed Trejo with a yellow card.
“That was a goal,” Mounsithiraj said of Janzen’s run. “I thought that should have been a red card, but it wasn’t. Tonight was just tough for us, as it seemed to me that we were playing against two opponents, one was the Bethel College soccer team and the other was the referee. We just didn’t have the effort to do both at the same time. Give credit to Bethel, though. We did not do a good job staying focused with a 1-0 lead and they were more hungry than we were.”
Mounsithiraj alluded to the recent trend of both ball clubs, as Bethel was coming off a four-game stretch that included three losses and a tie while Goshen was coming off a two-game winning streak.
“Sometimes it helps to have a little desperation and urgency,” Mounsithiraj said. “They played that way, we did not.”
Goshen must now summon the strength and fortitude for its next match, a tilt at Moody Bible Institute on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.
“We still have a lot of soccer left to play and we’ve got to get healthy,” Mounsithiraj said. “(Junior) Garet Osterloo has bruised hips, (sophomore) Jordan Delp has a pulled quad and (senior) Matt Yoder has a hip flexor. We will have to look deep into the benches for players that can step up for us. Several key players will not make the trip to get some needed rest.”
The Leafs will next return to MCC play at home on Saturday, when the team hosts Grace College. Match time is set for 7 p.m.
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Junior Garet Osterloo