Beacons Exit Tournament in Shootout

MEDFORD, Ore.  – A pair of Penalty Kicks in regulation were just an appetizer as the Bushnell men’s soccer team played to a draw with No. 2-seed Carroll College on Monday in the semifinals of the Cascade Collegiate Conference tournament. Their second straight shootout didn’t go the way the Beacons would have liked as the Saints advanced, 5-4.

The Beacons (10-6-4) played a magical 110 minutes of soccer, going toe-to-toe with one of the giants of the Cascade Conference in Carroll (13-2-3), including playing down a man for the final 20 minutes of regulation and both overtimes.

The Saints struck first, just minutes before the first half concluded with Felix Billard connecting on his penalty kick after Beacon foul in the box.

The No. 8-seed, having already eliminated top-seed Eastern Oregon in the quarterfinals, were unrelenting in their pursuit of an equalizer. Their battle was only made harder in the 70th minute when a Beacon was handed a red card for unsportsmanlike conduct as called by the official.

Despite playing with the handcuff, the Beacons continued to apply pressure and just ten minutes later received a PK of their own as Carroll was called for a foul inside the 18.

Manuel Bleck Da Silva was called on to connect, and he delivered the tying goal. Bushnell continued to desperately battle for the last ten minutes of regulation, and two ten-minute overtime periods, avoiding the loss as goalkeeper Will Haberfield once again stepped up. The senior collected a season-high ten saves against the Saints attack, guiding Bushnell to the shootout.

Attackers from both teams came up big in the shootout, matching make-for-make as they moved into the final shots tied 4-4. Unfortunately, junior Omar Barajas would come up just wide left on his attempt, hitting the post, and the final Saint found the back of the net to help Carroll advance to Wednesday’s championship.

Head Coach Joao Ehlers closed out the season by saying, “I am very proud of this group and how far we have come. This season showed us that we can accomplish a lot if we work hard and believe that it is possible. I am thankful for our seniors and all their hard work to make this program better.”

The Beacons close out their most successful season in school history, which included a school-record ten wins, their first CCC tournament appearance since 2017, and a pair of post-season ties, bringing their all-time playoff record to 1-1-2.