Bethel men's soccer off to strong start in 2023 as it defends its NAIA national championship
MISHAWAKA – The Bethel men’s soccer team has picked up right where it left off from last season.
The defending NAIA national champions are 5-0-1 in its first six matches, retaining the No. 1 ranking in the polls since the beginning of the season.
“So far, we’re doing well,” Bethel coach Thiago Pinto said. “We’ve kept the momentum going from last year. It’s always a challenge with how you start a season, so we’ve had a good start. … We just need to find ways to keep challenging the group and work with our leadership to still show humility, respect and work hard to follow our standards.”
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The Pilots have played three ranked teams, defeating No. 17 Madonna, 2-0, in the season opener and No. 25 Northwestern Ohio, 4-2, on Sept. 2 while tying No. 13 Oklahoma Wesleyan, 2-2, on Aug. 26.
Eleven players have scored for Bethel this year, led by five goals from Piero Sabroso. Midfielder Tim Noeding leads with four assists. Redshirt freshman Mathias Neuhaus has started all six games at goalkeeper, allowing seven goals total so far while making 22 saves.
Pinto also noted the play of Sami Charaf Amal and Thiago dos Santos as being important to the team’s success so far.
“We have some returners that are a really good group of leaders, like Tim Noeding,” Pinto said. “It’s his second year being a team captain. I think he’s finding his form as a team leader, in terms of helping guys with what they need. I think with him and Piero Sabroso, we’ve been solid with our leadership so far."
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Bethel has three more non-conference games remaining, all on the road. It then begins Crossroads League play with a home match on Sept. 23 against Spring Arbor.
“We’ll be tested here in the coming games and going into conference season,” Pinto said. “… We need to make sure our ‘why’ is real to the guys: why we do what we do and not get caught up in results. We need to enjoy the process. They’re only going to be disciplined if they have a strong ‘why.’”
Other local area college teams doing well
The men’s soccer team isn’t the only one doing well at Bethel. Here’s a look at other Pilots teams doing well, as well as others from the area.
Bethel volleyball
Bethel is still unbeaten, posting a 12-0 record. It picked up a key Crossroads League win over Taylor University last week to maintain its spotless record. The Pilots were ranked 16th in the NAIA polls on Aug. 30 and will more-than-likely move up when the new rankings are released Wednesday.
Redshirt senior Isabelle Greene leads the offense with 123 kills, while LaPorte graduate Cheyanne Seymour and NorthWood alum Maddy Payne are tied for second with 115 kills. Seymour also has 115 digs, good for second on the team. Freshman Haley Biedenbach is sixth in the country with an average of 10.93 assists/set. She has 448 total for the season.
Bethel women’s golf
The Pilots began its 2023-24 campaign by winning the Kyle Campbell Memorial Invitational in Olivet, Michigan, Saturday. Maria Pardo Victori was the individual medalist for the event, posting a two-day score of 152 (+8). Bethel is ranked No. 24 in the latest NAIA women’s golf poll. It competes in the NCCAA North-Central Regional Championship in Hastings, Michigan, on Sept. 18-19.
Goshen College women’s soccer
The Maple Leafs won their first five games of the season, matching their win total from a season ago. They’re now 5-1 after a loss to Madonna last weekend. Glenn High School graduate Seja Lang is tied with Sophia Yoder in leading the team with four goals each.
Goshen College cross country
Both Maple Leaf cross country teams started the season in the NAIA top 25 polls, with the men ranked 13th and the women 24th. Both have competed in one invite so far, running against major competition at a five-team invite at Valparaiso. The Goshen men only finished behind Notre Dame and Purdue, with Matthew Keitany, Nelson Kemboi and Drew Hogan finishing fifth, sixth and seventh individually at the meet.
Southwestern Michigan College volleyball
North of the state line, the Roadrunners are off to a 9-3 start to the season. Niles High School graduate Nikki Nate has been a valuable weapon so far, with the sophomore being named the Michigan Community College Athletic Association Offensive Player of the Week for the opening week, then earning Defensive Player of the Week honors last week. For the season, Nate has 130 kills, 160 digs, 37 blocks and 14 service aces, all of which lead the team.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Bethel men's soccer the top local college sports team in the South Bend area so far in 2023
