Springfield MO Soccer

The Glendale Falcon’s traveled to Rolla Thursday evening to renew their rivalry with the Bulldogs. The night started in a similar fashion to the last time these two teams met (2004 District 11 playoffs) when Rolla scored on a set piece in the first two minutes of the match . Senior Joe Middendorf’s shot from 30 yards out forced Glendale keeper Steven Conners to make a diving stop but when the ball got loose, junior Kyle Stagner was on the doorstep to put the ball into the net.

The Falcon’s showed more resiliency this year when only four minutes later they got the equalizer. The game winner came in the 17th minute from Andy Sawyer, in much the same fashion as his game winner Tuesday against Kickapoo. As the keeper rushed out expecting to collect a long ball into the box, Andy was able to deftly put the ball down, move around a defender and slot his shot into a suddenly vacant goalmouth. Falcons 2, Bulldogs 1.

That would be the final goal on the night as these two teams continued their on-going battles. Rolla’s defense, much improved from when I last saw them in early September, showed the discipline and work effort they are known for. Goalie Raj Mishra in particular has picked up his game and given his teammates the confidence they need to venture forward on the attack, stopping several high balls while also reliably handling the many attacks that Glendale mustered on this first, very chilly evening of October soccer. While Glendale had the majority of the play, junior captain Kyle Stagner made a determined run from midfield all the way into the box that required Steven Conner to make a diving save to protect the lead late in the game.

The JV game was won by Glendale by the score of 5-0 with Tyler McElroy, pictured above, getting the final goal.

The Falcon’s now face a difficult weekend with three games in the next two days at the Kickapoo Shootout. The Bulldogs begin a six game road trip with an Ozark Conference match in Camdenton on Tuesday and St. Francis Borgia on Thursday.