Men's Soccer

The Calvary Bible College Warriors (Kansas City, MO) soccer team ended their 2012 season by capturing the ACCA National Championship in Joplin, MO, on Saturday, November 3. It was an impressive turnaround from the 2011 season, as they went from a two-win campaign to a 15-3 record overall. The Warriors were supported by great play all season long from all 14 players on their team roster.

The Warriors possessed a talented and diverse offensive, averaging 2.5 goals per game, led especially by their 3 ACCA All-American athletes: midfielders Ross Harris (12 goals and 15 assists) and Josh Henderson (10 goals and 8 assists), and forward Stephen King (13 goals and 12 assists). The Warriors were able to bring home the tournament title thanks in large part to a stingy defense that set a school record for goals-against-average with an impressively low .89 mark. Senior Jesse Bonin and sophomore David Clevenger did a superb job leading the defensive back line. Freshman goalkeeper Karlin Wiebe performed brilliantly with 9 shutouts and 139 saves. Particularly, in games that meant the most, the Warriors defense was at its best, giving up only one goal in 5 tournament games (including 3 Conference Tournament games and 2 National Tournament games).

Most importantly the Calvary Warriors soccer team displayed an excellent testimony and godly character throughout the season, staying focused on their primary goals: 1) glorifying the Lord above all else and 2) encouraging and building up one another. Coach Nichols commented, "I am so proud of each one of the guys on this team, not only for the incredible effort they put forth and the great things they accomplished together, but most of all, how they did it. They did it with the proper mindset and with a heart that truly sought to give all the glory to God."

Midway through the season, the Warriors welcomed the soccer alumni into town for a weekend filled with great opportunities for the former players to see what kind of legacy they left behind, as well as invest in the current players’ lives. For the current team, it was a great time to learn from the wisdom and experience of seasoned veterans and learn about the game and life as a whole. It was another well-represented weekend for the alumni as players from the 80s, 90s, and 2000s were present. The weekend’s festivities included a Friday night trip to Livestrong Sporting Park to watch a Sporting KC MLS game, as well as a delicious brunch and time of worship and fellowship the following morning. In the alumni game, that afternoon, the alumni won in PK's 4-3 after an exciting match which ended in a 4-4 tie.

After wrapping up a fantastic regular season and a strong third-place finish in the always tough MCCC Conference Tournament, the Warriors went into the ACCA National Tournament in Joplin, MO, as the one-seed and lived up to their seeding. They earned a day of rest on the first day of the tournament, as they had a first round bye, but they were excited and ready to go for their semi-final match versus Barclay College. After a scoreless first half the Warriors increased their scoring chances in the second half and were rewarded late in the game. With only 5 minutes to go in regulation, the Warriors scored on a beautiful header by senior Ross Harris, who was assisted by sophomore Robert Busenitz and senior Stephen King. However, they were not done. With only two minutes left in the game, they scored again on a powerful shot from Stephen King, assisted by sophomore Brandon Moeness and senior Brian Binkley. They won 2-0, beating a talented Barclay College squad for the 3rd time in the year.

The Warriors were right back at it the following day in the final game against Hillsdale Free Will Baptist College. The championship game started off looking like it was going to be a defensive battle with the score knotted up 0-0 at the half. But Calvary came out strong in the second half, and senior Steven Parkin put one in from the top of the box eight minutes into the second half assisted by Stephen King. Steven Parkin scored again tapping the ball just by the keeper with 31 minutes remaining, making the score 2-0 for Calvary. Eight minutes later, freshman Josh Henderson scored, assisted by Stephen King and Ross Harris. Then in the closing minutes of the game, Josh Henderson scored again, assisted by Steven Parkin for the final goal of the game. Calvary beat Hillsdale, 4-0, in the championship game, taking home their third soccer title in school history, and their first since 1991.

Click here to visit the official ACCA Tournament page.

2012 Roster

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