North Newton, Kan. — The Bethel women's soccer team took a crucial step toward postseason contention with a 2–1 victory Wednesday night over McPherson College at Thresher Stadium.

Bethel opened the scoring in the 39th minute, when Malayasia Larque broke free down the right side after a perfectly placed header assist from Melanie Torres. As the McPherson goalkeeper slid in to challenge, Larque's touch carried through the contact and trickled past the keeper, rolling across the line to give Bethel the early 1–0 lead.

McPherson equalized early in the second half, but the Threshers reclaimed control in the 79th minute. Aniaya Lugo found space inside the box and buried the eventual game-winner off another setup from Torres.

Goalkeeper Cadence McMenamy came up big in the closing moments, making several key saves to preserve the win.

The result pushes Bethel into a tie for ninth place in the KCAC standings, even with McPherson but holding the head-to-head tiebreaker. With four matches remaining, the Threshers are just one spot out of a playoff position.

Bethel (3–8–3, 3–5–1 KCAC) returns to action Saturday at 11:00 a.m. at home against Friends University.