By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – The term “free kick” is a classic misnomer. Nothing free about it, other than the fact the instigator of the kick is unguarded following a foul. It’s an earned reward.
Bedford North Lawrence’s Grant Beyers cashed in a pair of those “free” tickets.
After the Stars were awarded free kicks following Jennings County fouls near the top of the penalty box, Beyers booted home two goals while powering the Stars to a 3-0 victory over the Panthers on Thursday evening. Adriano Sullivan added a first-half goal as BNL recorded its first Hoosier Hills Conference victory of the season.
The first Beyers conversion came at the 36:42 mark of the first half, giving the Stars a quick lead. That momentum carried through, and BNL also dominated possession to keep the Panthers pinned down.
“We stressed working on being strong defensively and maintaining possession,” BNL coach Ryan Otis said. “If we did that, the goals would come.”
Sullivan’s goal created working space. Beyers lofted a long pass into space in front of JC goalie Deken Simpson, and Sullivan won the race to the ball, skipping past the diving Simpson and hitting the unguarded net at 17:54.
Beyers converted his second with 18:11 left in the second half, slipping a shot into the right corner of the net.
“When it’s close like that (both were from 20 yards), Coach lets me decide to kick it or pass the ball,” Beyers said. “I was feeling confident. I got pretty lucky on both of them. The goalie got there, but I was able to push it through. Luckily I picked the right corners.”
“You have to earn it,” Otis said. “But we can‘t count on those in the future. We need to score some regular goals.”
BNL certainly had multiple opportunities, posting a 20-3 advantage in shots. BNL goalie Daniel Loudin-Magnuson had to make only one save against a threatening shot, as he dove to stop a ball with 11 minutes left.
The Stars (3-4-1 overall, 1-2-0 in the league) ended a five-match winless streak.
“It’s a good morale boost,” Beyers said. “Getting a win definitely meant a lot.”
“The last couple of weeks have been rough,” Otis said. “So it’s nice to be in a game and take advantage if it.”
BNL will celebrate Senior Day when it hosts Trinity Lutheran on Saturday.
