Box Score | Video of Wetherell's kick

ARDEN HILLS, Minn. - Last-second plays have not been kind to the Royals so far this season - until today. For the second year in a row, Bethel has defeated Hamline on a field goal as time has expired, and for the second year in a row, it's come from Matt Wetherell (So., Glen Ellyn, Ill.).

"I'm just really happy my teammates got us in a position where we could win," said an overwhelmed Wetherell. "I'm also glad the coaches had the confidence to send me back out there in that situation. If I had made one of the field goals earlier on, we wouldn't have been in that position, but this is a good win for us and I'm glad I could play my part in it," said Wetherell.

Wetherell put Bethel up 10-7 in the second quarter with a 23-yard field goal, but then had an attempt from 29-yards blocked just before the end of the first half. And on the Royals second-to-last possession, he missed from 32-yards, wide right, but made up for things with the game-winner. Previously, Bethel had been defeated by Wheaton and Saint John's on plays with less than 10 seconds remaining.

The Royals fell behind 7-0 early in the first quarter when they fumbled deep in their own territory, thus setting up a 16-yard touchdown by Hamline's Anthony Iten. Bethel finally got on the scoreboard late in the quarter when Kevin Lindh (Fr., Houston, Minn.) punched the ball into the end zone from 16 yards out to tie the game.

Iten struck again for the Pipers, this time from 20 yards out to put Hamline back out in front 14-10. But Bethel answered back less than two minutes later, and again it was Lindh on a 24-yard run to give Bethel the lead. Lindh had a career-best game today with 104 yards on 18 carries and a pair of touchdowns. He had just 53 net yards on 16 carries in Bethel's first six games, but was a key factor in the "Wildcat" formation the offense ran today.

"The offensive line did a great job blocking for me, but I still feel like I could have gained a few more yards," said Lindh. "Logan [Flannery] did a great job of preparing for today's game, playing a position he's never played before, and we made the most of it."

Running back Logan Flannery (Jr., Lakeville, Minn.) lined up as quarterback in several offensive series, rushing for 126 yards on 19 carries. He also completed one of his two passes for eight yards and caught another pass for nine yards for 143 yards of total offense today. Meanwhile, Caleb Graff (Sr., Buena Vista, Colo.), starting for an injured Josh Aakre (So., Dawson, Minn.), completed 19 of his 38 passes for 175 yards, including a pair of outstanding catches by Jay Hilbrands (Fr., Clara City, Minn.). Hilbrands caught four passes for 63 yards, just two yards shy of team leader Joel Quick (Sr., Johnston, Iowa) who had 65 yards on seven catches.

Hamline tied the game at 17 with about five minutes remaining in the game on a 38-yard field goal from Derek Johnson, but the Royals got the ball back on their own 47-yard line with 28 second remaining and moved the ball 31 yards on two catches from Quick to get into field goal range. After an attempt to score a touchdown, Bethel called on Wetherell to get the job done.

"My heart was racing when I went out there, and just like last year, [Hamline] called two timeouts, and that helped me calm down and concentrate on what I needed to do," said Wetherell.

Defensively, Bethel did an outstanding job of stopping the rush as the Royals allowed just 33 yards on 29 carries from the Pipers. Bethel also came up with three big interceptions and a a pair of fumble recoveries to help get the offense back on the field. Cory Svihla (Jr., Foley, Minn.) and David Vavra (So., Cambridge, Minn.) led the team with eight tackles each, but it was Vavra who picked off two passes and recovered one of the Hamline fumbles. David Benjamin (Sr., Roseville, Minn.) also had a pick today, while Trent Pearson (Jr., Shakopee, Minn.) and Jared Lyle (Sr., Elgin, Ill.) each had a hand in forcing a fumble. The Royals sacked Hamline quarterback Adam Meyer three times, with Andrew Johnson (Sr., Maple Grove, Minn.) recording two of them.

The win helps Bethel improve to 5-2 overall and 4-1 in the conference, while Hamline drops to 2-4 overall and 1-4 in the MIAC. The Royals get a much needed break next weekend before returning to action against Gustavus in St. Peter on October 31, beginning at 1 p.m.