Eagles Soccer Falls Just Short of District Title

Southern Boone junior and team captain Zachary Hawkins (19) controls the ball in a match earlier this season, with senior midfielder Alejandro Pagoada (left) providing support. The Eagles lost the district title match last week to Moberly by a very closely contested and controversial 1-0 score.

By: Todd Pridemore
Southern Boone hosted the Class 2 District 4 soccer tournament in Ashland week, benefitting from a first-round bye as the #1 seed in the district. The Eagles opened the tournament against the Winfield Warriors (14-9) on Tuesday. It was the first time in weeks that the squad was at full strength, with talented sophomore Brayden Watson back in the starting lineup.

On paper, SB seemed to have an edge in every category: more regular season wins than Winfield (16 to 14), more goals scored per match (4.1 to 3), and greater scoring margins in victories against common opponents Canton, Mexico, and Wright City. The only area where the Warriors held an advantage was in goals allowed per match, with the Eagles allowing their opponents to score an average of 2 goals per contest, while Winfield had held opponents to 1.7 per match. In reality, all of those metrics went out the window in what was an evenly matched, physical contest.

The Warriors started off strong, generating a dangerous attack on goal in only the 2nd minute that the SB defense managed to deflect away from their net. The Eagles began to create more chances of their own near the midpoint of the first half, with the first score coming in the 24th minute. Alejandro Pagoada served a corner kick into the box, where Zachary Hawkins headed the ball into an open net to give SB a 1-0 lead that stood through halftime.

The second period opened much like the first, with Winfield creating several opportunities and finally finding the net in the 45th minute to knot the score at 1-1. Southern Boone responded and began to once again generate more chances for themselves. The Eagles broke through with the final and deciding goal in the 57th minute, when Miles Butler fed the ball to Pagoada near the left sideline, who returned the ball to Butler near the left corner of the 18-yard box. The high-scoring freshman pushed the ball toward the goal and buried his shot to give his team the 2-1 lead and win.

The district title match on Thursday came down to SB versus the #3 seed Moberly Spartans (15-11), who defeated #2 seed Father Tolton by a 3-2 score in extra time on Tuesday. The Eagles bested the Spartans by a 3-1 score in early September and had not lost to Moberly in their last ten meetings. In fact, the last time the Spartans earned a win against SB was way back in 2011. But just like the match on Tuesday, all of that past history meant little in this battle. In a game that was physical, fast, and very well balanced, one goal decided the outcome. That goal came from the Spartans in the 20th minute, when they scored on a counter attack.

Six minutes later, the Eagles appeared to tie the match after a Butler shot deflected in the box and appeared to roll across the goal line. The reactions of players from both teams who were near the ball indicated that it was a goal, but the Assistant Referee did not signal it as such and instructed the players to “play on.” After the match, the referees acknowledged that while the ball was very close to fully crossing the line, they stood with their decision not to award the goal. A screen shot image that was captured from the game video and was shared among SB players after the game showed that the ball did indeed cross the goal line.

Despite that adversity, the Eagles put together scoring opportunities in the second period, with the best chance coming in the 54th minute when Butler received the ball behind the Spartans defensive backs and went one-on-one with the keeper. The Moberly goalie made the defensive play of the game when he charged forward, narrowed the shot window, and ultimately deflected Butler’s strong shot away from the goal. The game turned into a foul contest in the closing minutes, but ultimately the visitors held on for a 1-0 win over the Eagles.

Southern Boone finished the season with a solid 17-8 record.

Head Coach Vandelicht adds, “Soccer is a sport where it only takes one goal to win. Unfortunately, that is the goal we gave up and the other team played a perfect game. This team far exceeded their expectations even making it to the championship, and we had a great season where our players grew in more ways than just soccer skills. It is always a blessing to coach our athletes and especially our 6 seniors who are incredible young gentlemen.”

Congratulations to the team on a tremendous season!