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Home / Sports / Iowa High School Sports / High School Soccer
Casey and Caleb Gessner helped the Bobcats knock off No. 1 Williamsburg on Tuesday
Apr. 11, 2024 11:48 am, Updated: Apr. 11, 2024 1:10 pm
WILLIAMSBURG — The crowd at Bob Murphy Stadium sat silent in suspense.
Most everyone, even Benton Community boys’ soccer coach Will Stockman, wasn’t sure if Caleb Gessner’s shot in extra time had crossed the goal line.
“I wanted to sprint on the field, but I didn’t really know if it had gone in or not,” Stockman said. “So I just kind of waited for the refs to make the choice.”
Finally, after a few prolonged moments of tension, the referee gave the signal — “good.” Game over. Bobcats win.
“I just kicked it and hoped for the best,” Gessner said. “It felt great. We’ve been working our tail off and it was one heck of a win.”
“When you keep knocking at the door, sometimes it’ll open for you,” Stockman said.
Gessner’s game-winning goal Tuesday gave Benton (3-1) a 2-1 win over Class 2A No. 1 Williamsburg (4-1).
His score, which came late in extra time, almost never happened.
Approximately two minutes before Gessner’s walk off shot, brother Casey Gessner, who scored Benton’s only goal in regulation, narrowly missed a header on a pass from the corner.
“Oh my gosh, I was really mad at myself,” junior Casey Gessner said. “It was like a fast-paced layup in basketball. It was just too easy. It was just too wide open. Too perfect.”
“I was ready to go home; I thought it was going in,” senior Caleb Gessner said. “And Casey just sailed it by a little bit. But great effort from him, he scored the first goal.”
By Caleb Gessner making the final shot, he tied his brother at three goals scored apiece this season.
Not that they’re keeping track …
“I had to stay in the race with the goals, you know, three and three,” Caleb Gessner said.
“I would’ve liked to have kept the lead, but it was good for him to score,” Casey Gessner said. “It keeps us competitive.”
Tuesday’s win also was a stroke of revenge for the Bobcats.
In 2023, Williamsburg defeated Benton twice — the second loss ended Benton’s season.
“It was definitely a fun game,” Stockman said. “I’ve been looking forward to this one since they knocked us out in the (state) playoffs last year.”
“It just felt good to get one back,” Casey Gessner said.
Stout defense and the Gessner brothers’ scoring have been the key ingredients to Benton’s strong start. The Bobcats have allowed just two goals through four games.
“We had great defense tonight and didn’t let up,” Caleb Gessner said. “Our communication is great. We all find passes and just the effort getting back on defense is crazy.”
Benton’s next challenge will come Friday against Wamac-foe Independence.
“We’ve got a lot of senior leadership and some really good juniors that step up and you see it on the field,” Stockman said. “If one guy messes up, the other players will pick him up and have his back.”
“We have a great team,” Casey Gessner said. “I don’t think there are any weak spots. I think we’re going to go far.”
Emily Andersen
Caleb McCullough, Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau
John Steppe
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