On a wet and soggy field at the Ona Orth Athletic Complex in early November, the Bethel University men’s soccer team’s historic 2024 season came to a close. It was one that saw the Royals earn their most wins and conference wins since 2004 and host the first ever MIAC playoff game in program history.
All of this washed away in a 5-2 loss to Carleton College, a game in which Bethel fell behind 3-0 and never really caught back up.
For the Royals, the season ended in an unceremonious fashion— they’d accomplished so much, yet knew that so much more was possible.
“[It was] definitely bittersweet… we were really excited with the way the season ended,” head coach Jeremy Iwaszkowiec said. “We felt like there was more soccer to be played for us.”
On the Royals’ side of the field stood fifth-year captain Will Swanda, surrounded by his family and teammates crying on the field. Feeling taken aback in that moment as a freshman member of the team came up to talk to him, he remembered where it all started and where the program had been five seasons ago.
After a COVID-19 shortened freshman season that saw the Royals play just five games, Swanda came back in 2021 for his sophomore season. He was instantly thrown into the fire as he was named captain at 19-years-old.
In the middle of an early-October home game against St. Scholastica, Swanda began to feel the weight of being a first-year captain.
“I had a panic attack on the field,” Swanda said. “Because I was like, ‘I’m not leading, I’m not doing enough, I am not enough.’”
In that 2021 season, the Royals finished 9-7-2, winning just three games in conference play and missing the playoffs yet again.
2022, however, was a different story.
Swanda and the Royals improved to 10-9-1, winning five conference games and earning Bethel’s first MIAC playoff bid in 18 years. They traveled to Northfield to take on the reigning MIAC champions at Carleton College.
In their second playoff game ever, the Royals pulled off a 1-0 upset on the road against the defending champs –a turning point of sorts for the program that placed a renewed emphasis on recruiting after that season.
They dropped the junior varsity team in favor of a more-focused recruiting scheme, only bringing in six or seven new players a year.
“Given the set of variables and the challenges and opportunities here, I felt this is what was necessary to give our varsity group the best chance to be successful,” Iwaszkowiec said.
The position- and talent-driven recruiting resulted in team success the program had never experienced before. But it brought along its own challenges. The team had to find a balance between playing competitively while still valuing inclusivity, worth and belonging on the team.
“I think our guys have done a pretty good job of everyone [having] a role regardless,” Iwaszkowiec said. “Of where they fall on the roster.”
Despite the momentum of a new recruiting strategy and a road playoff victory, the Royals backslid in 2023. They finished 5-8-4, winning two conference matchups and missing the MIAC playoffs.
In order to get back on track in 2024 and return to the MIAC playoffs and beyond, a more direct approach was needed.
“This year, it was business from day one,” Swanda said. “You’ve been picked to be here and our expectation is we’re good.”
That expectation was tested with an early season road trip to play an out-of-conference matchup against Wheaton College. The Royals played eight prior matchups against the Thunder coming away winless in all of them.
Under the lights on the road against a Wheaton team that went on to win the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW), the Royals squeaked out a 2-1 victory on a Nathan Hunt-goal in the 58’.
“That was the first game of the season where I was like, ‘this is different,’” Swanda said. “‘We’re really good.’”
Taking that attitude into the rest of the season, the Royals won six conference games — their most since 2004 — including a 6-0 win over Augsburg to secure a home playoff game for the first time in program history.
Although still a step behind top-tier MIAC opponents like Gustavus Adolphus College and defending national champions St. Olaf College, Bethel was beginning to turn a corner and perhaps make a deep playoff run.
Standing in their way was Carleton College – the team they had upended two years earlier – except this time, the Royals were the hosts and the favorites, having beaten the Knights on the road 2-0 during the regular season.
The pressure finally caught up with the Royals, however, as the Knights got their revenge with a decisive victory, spoiling the Royals’ historic season.
“There was a little bit more pressure of like, we should keep going,” Swanda said. “We had already beaten Carleton this season…they came out with a lot of fire and we came out flat.”
When the dust settled the Royals finished the 2024 season 11-8, their best season since George W. Bush was president and the Lord of the Rings: Return of the King was the highest grossing film of the year.
Four Royals earned all-MIAC honors, including Swanda, who earned his second career all-MIAC honorable mention. Iwaszkowiec also made history, becoming the third Bethel men’s soccer head coach to earn MIAC coach of the year honors in his 14th year leading the Royals.
The awards served as a reflection of how impactful and successful the season was, but a reminder that they came up short of the ultimate goal.
“I would trade these awards in a heartbeat to still be playing in the national tournament.” Iwaszkowiec said.
Hosting a playoff game is only a taste of where Iwaszkowiec hopes to lead his team.
“Hosting a playoff game was great, but we want to win MIAC championships and we want to challenge for NCAA championships,” Iwaszkowiec said. “That’s the trajectory we’re on.”
Iwaszkoviec and the younger Royals hope to learn from this loss and continue to build a program that can compete with the likes of St. Olaf and Gustavus. For others, like their fifth-year senior and four-year captain, the road comes to an end.
“Definitely a different experience of being like, actually I don’t get to learn from that lesson,” Swanda said. “I’m done, so pass the torch and see what happens.”
The loss is more than just a learning experience for the Royals; it’s a reminder of their team slogan: “Today is a gift.”
“I get to participate in the gift so many times,” Swanda said. “End results are fleeting.”
