Beta’s Caleb Franco (3) slices between Zeta Chi’s Dan Sells (left) and Micah Alexander (right).
Beta undefeated, knocks off Zeta
Beta Gamma defeated Zeta Chi 2-1, increasing its school-best winning streak to 17 games.
The Patriots came out strong in the first half, and Jon Grant finally capitalized with 18 minutes left in the first half, sending a header into the corner of the net for a 1-0 lead.
“I didn’t really know what happened,” Jon said. “I got hit after I dove for the ball, and when I looked up, we had scored.”
Despite numerous scoring chances, neither team was able to score for the remainder of the first half.
Both teams moved the ball well to start the second half, but Beta again struck first. Freshman Caleb Franco took advantage of a collision between Z’s goalie and a defenseman. Caleb barely kept the ball inbounds and slid it into the goal to give Beta a 2-0 advantage.
With 25 minutes left, the game’s intensity elevated. Beta midfielder Anthony Lehn placed a perfect pass past the Tornado defense to John Woodhall, who was robbed by Z goalie Ryan James.
In the next minute, Z moved the ball up to forward Tim Renner, who had two shots bounce off the goalpost.
With 18 minutes remaining, freshman Nate Fetters took advantage of Z’s momentum and took a shot that barely got by Beta goalie Caleb Sowers to narrow the score to 2-1.
After Z’s score, Beta’s offense went back to work putting shots on goal, but goalie Ryan James stopped multiple one-on-one opportunities from the Beta forwards until the whistle blew.
Beta’s Jon Grant, who scored Beta’s first goal, emphasized the need to finish. “There were so many easy goals [we] should have put in,” he said. “We need to work on making those shots.”
Caleb Franco, who scored Beta’s other goal, said that his team worked on distributing the ball in the second half instead of booting it straight up the field. “We wanted to play more as a team in the second half,” Caleb said. “We’re working on playing strong but keeping a level head at the same time.”
Keith Tillman, who anchored Z’s defense at the sweeper position, praised his midfielders for helping to control the Beta offense. “Our midfield came back and helped out a lot,” Keith said. “Chad [Peeler], Ben [St-Ulme], and goalie Ryan James also stepped up to help on defense.”
Zeta Chi forward Tim Renner had many close shots that struck the crossbar or missed just wide. He said that his shot was off, and that he will spend time working on it.
Tim complimented the play of the Beta forwards, saying that they made great runs and pressured the defense the whole game.
“One thing we can take away from that game is that we can have even more intensity as a team,” Tim said. “We need to see the field and know where we’re going to pass before we even get the ball.”
