INDIANOLA, Iowa — The Simpson men’s soccer team knew one thing going into its season opener against Bethel: If they could keep Bethel under pressure, they would likely see their desired outcome.

And they did just that.

The Storm outshot the Royals 22-4 en route to a 4-1 victory Thursday evening at Bill Buxton Stadium, attacking Bethel’s backline and controlling possession for the majority of the match.

“We knew this was going to be a game where the team that was the most opportunistic would probably get the result they were looking for,” head coach Rick Isaacson said. “We felt like if we put Bethel under pressure for 90 minutes, they would start to fatigue, and I think that’s the way the game played out.”

Junior Nick Joslyn got the ball rolling for the Storm when he found the back of the net in the fifth minute for his first goal of the season. The Storm’s lead wouldn’t last for long, though, as Bethel’s Danny Jaderholm snuck a goal by Chris Harris in the 28th minute.

The last 15 minutes of the first half saw Simpson dominate the ball but not able to find the back of the net. Joslyn narrowly missed his second goal of the night, when he sailed a shot just high of the crossbar in the 30th minute, closely followed by Garrett Pochop sending a solid effort just left of the goal.

The Storm finally prevailed in the closing minutes of the first half Donevan Roe connected with Pochop for Pochop’s first goal of the season, sending the Storm into halftime with a 2-1 lead.

As the second half began, the Storm began to impose their will on the Royals.

The Simpson attack was able the maneuver the field with ease resulting in Pochop’s second goal of the game in the 77th minute from the top of the box and Darius Doswell’s first goal of the season minutes later, a gorgeous side volley off a corner kick from Sam Stephens.

“We’re pleased with the results, but we also know we’re an unfinished product. It’s still early in the year and we have a lot of work to do,” Isaacson said. “We’ll get back to work tomorrow and start preparing for Westminster, who was in the national tournament last year. We don’t get much time to enjoy this and we’ll shift out focus to the next game.”