By Jeff Kontz, sophomore

The Friends University Falcons ended their season Nov. 10 in the semifinals of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship Tournament. The Ottawa Braves, the champions, defeated the Falcons 3-0.

It was an unlikely thought at the beginning of the season that the women’s soccer team would finish the season with the 4th best overall record in the conference. The team was picked to finish last on media day and coach Victor Garcia-Bebek looked to have his work cut out in his inaugural season at Friends.

“It was a good season,” said Garcia-Bebek. “We overcame a lot of obstacles. Our defense ranked 25th in the nation."

The season also held 10 shutouts for the team.

The Falcons were shorthanded this season and relied on versatility to make up for their lack of depth.

“We did not have a lot of depth with only 14 players because of injuries and that hurt us in the playoffs,” said Garcia-Bebek.

Although the season ended sooner than he had hoped for, the Falcons’ coach is excited about next year’s potential. This will be his first off-season at Friends University and he has already had 20 recruits on campus since the season’s end.

“There have been many inquiries about our program, and I’m trying to get them all on campus and committed quickly,” said Garcia-Bebek.

Garcia-Bebek said he would like to have 25 players on his roster next season including the 14 that are anticipated to return. The most important quality that he wants in his recruits, though, is the ability to play and make contributions to the team in the right away.

“We will be solid in the years ahead,” said Garcia-Bebek. “We only lose four players this year and only one the year after that.”