Bulldog soccer shuts out Westside

By Ben Keller and Clark Johnson
UCA sportswriting

The St. Joseph Bulldog soccer team shut out the Westside Consolidated Warriors, 4-0, in Conway at the Bill Stephens Track and Soccer Complex on Friday in a first half that the Bulldogs dominated.

The Bulldogs improved to 8-1 overall and 5-1 in conference play. Friday’s game was originally scheduled for Tuesday, April 26, but because of heavy rain in Conway, the Centennial Bank Soccer Complex was mostly under water. The game was set for Thursday but the fields were still not playable, but the teams were able to face each other on UCA’s soccer field.

St. Joseph coach Kevin Rittman said the rain did not affect the team’s performance even though the Bulldogs had not played a game in a week.

“We were out for seven days and it didn’t affect us at all, surprisingly,” he said. “We came out Wednesday and had our first practice in a week. Everyone came out for it and played smart, played hard and had a good practice on Wednesday. The rain hasn’t affected us yet.”

The Bulldogs wasted no time as they scored in the first minute of play. Junior forward Harrison Hambuchen blew past Westside defenders in a solo effort that resulted in a shot bouncing off the left side goalpost past the Wildcat goalkeeper, lifting the Bulldogs to a 1-0 lead. Two minutes later, Hambuchen assisted in St. Joseph’s second goal of the match. Senior Jake Thielke received Hambuchen’s through pass that split defenders and sent a shot directly to the Westside keeper. After saving the initial shot, the ball bounced back to Thielke’s feet as Thielke sent his second attempt to the back of the net to make the score 2-0.

In the 14th minute, the Wildcats saw one of their best chances of the match go soaring over the St. Joseph crossbar when a shot from distance sailed out of play. In the 23rd minute, Hambuchen claimed his second goal of the match. Receiving a pass from midfield, Hambuchen’s pace saw him get a chance one-on-one with the Westside keeper, sending the ball passed outstretched fingertips on the left side of the goal.

Thielke matched Hambuchen’s total in the 28th minute. A long ball pass from the backfield sent unaware Westside defenders chasing a streaking Thielke, but Thielke’s booming shot sailed into the right corner of the net to give the Bulldogs a 4-0 lead going into halftime.

The Bulldogs held possession of the ball for the majority of the second half and did not give the Warriors many chances to even take a shot at the goal.

Rittman said it was great to see his team come out from the start and put goals on the board.

“It’s great to get points early because it gives our team confidence and keeps them playing hard,” he said.