Bethany races past Newcastle in state opener

BETHANY — It was familiar recipe for Bethany’s girls in their quest to repeat as Class 4A soccer champs. Junior Camryn Regier scored four goals and the Bronchos rolled to a 5-1 win over Newcastle Tuesday (May 5) in the first round of the state tournament at SNU Football Stadium.

Regier might have had a haul but Bethany coach Sean Williams was pleased with the team-first approach.

“The movement that they had off the ball, the way the ball moved, and just playing off of each other was was really good to see because when we play unselfish soccer, we are scary good.”

Regier’s first goal came just over four minutes into the match. Bethany pushed the ball into the Newcastle end, and Regier used strong footwork in traffic to put the Bronchos in front 1-0.

Bethany soon added to the lead when sophomore Jocelyn Balderas cleaned up a loose ball in the box. The Racers initially deflected the ball away, but it bounced through traffic and fell to Balderas, who finished to make it 2-0.

Newcastle answered when senior Lexie Swetz ran through the Bethany defense for a goal, cutting the deficit to 2-1 with 17:55 left in the first half.

Regier and the Bronchos answered before halftime. With about nine minutes left in the half, senior Reese Harris found Regier, who created space and scored with her left foot to extend the lead to 3-1.

The Racers had the wind at its back in the second half and created enough pressure to test Bethany’s back line, but the Bronchos’ defense held, while Bethany continued to keep the ball in Newcastle’s half for long stretches.

Regier put the match out of reach with 16:21 left, finishing from the right side after freshman Kinlee Williams helped win the ball and set up the attack. That goal completed Regier’s hat trick and pushed Bethany’s lead to 4-1.

Regier added one more goal with 3:39 left with a header off an assist from sophomore Jozzy Hernandez turning what had been a competitive playoff match into a 5-1 final.

Bethany coach Sean Williams said moving Regier into a new role this season had paid off.

After playing the 10, or the playmaker role last season, Williams moved Regier to the back line.

“We give her a lot of freedom to move into different positions. and take up different spots and our girls read her movement really, really well.”

With the higher (or closer to the goal) position, Regier only has to beat one player, instead of three or four, to get a good shot.

“It’s a really good matchup with most of the girls that she plays,” Williams said.

WIth the goals, Regier now has 107 goals for her career.

Williams added that Hernandez taken over the “playmaker” role.

An early May cold front dropped temperatures and featured 30+ mile per hour wind gusts that turned from blustery to miserable at times.

For Williams, the cold wasn’t the biggest issue.

“I’d rather it be this temperature than 90 degrees,” he said. “I think the wind really affects how you play.”

WIlliams recalled worse conditions this season when the team played in Stillwater.

He said his team knows how the wind will affect their style of play and how to adjust accordingly.

“We played some opponents in these conditions, and even for them, it rattles you a little bit. I think the experience of knowing how to handle it and what to do was good.”

UP NEXT

Bethany (13-3) hosts Holland Hall (9-7) Friday (May 5) at 7 p.m. The Dutch advanced Tuesday with a 5-0 win over Wagoner.

The contest is a rematch of last season’s title game, a 1-0 Bethany victory.

Holland Hall enters the matchup on a five-game winning streak after a 4-7 start. From March 7-31, the Dutch lost five straight matches

After the Bronchos’ last loss, a 2-0 defeat against 6A Yukon on March 27, Bethany has averaged eight goals in the last eight games. During that stretch, the Bronchos have only given up four goals total and has five shutouts.

For the season, the squad is average 5.1 goals a contest while their opponents are averaging just over one goal a game.

Williams is pleased the game is at home, where the Bronchos have a 6-2 record.

“We’re pretty confident that better weather (Friday) will bring a better atmosphere,” Williams said.