The Joplin Eagles, seeded #3 this year, took advantage of a marvelous goal by freshman Max Duncan to knock off #2 Parkview this evening, 1-0. The goal came from a throw-in by senior John Duncan (yes, they are brothers) and Max took the ball, turned and unleased a shot from 25+ yards that ended up in the side netting. John was having a hard time finding the adjectives necessary to describe the shot and the satisfaction the Eagles took in reaching the District Final. A result that offers a salve for last years loss in PK’s to the Vikings who took this loss very hard.
On a larger stage, the Eagles would be described as a bunch of no-names, a team that seems to recognize it’s strengths (the Duncan’s) and works very hard to overachieve. It doesn’t hurt that the standard for hard work is set by the brothers, but this team fought off everything the Vikings threw at them. John McDermid exhibited a high level of confidence in goal, which he delivered on. His defense, led by #13 in the middle (pictured above) got to the ball first, negating the Vikings many corner kicks and centering passes.
The Kickapoo Chiefs faced off against the Nixa Eagles in the early match and shutout their southern opponent 7-1. The goal of the game was by senior Bryan King who delivered a bicycle kick goal that he and his teammates will remember for a long time. He was able to take a hard driven corner kick and bury it from just outside the six yard box. Update – Ole, the final score of the Chiefs v Eagles game was 7-1. The Eagles scored in the first half on Brady Hurlburt’s well timed header and the Chiefs had a narrow 2-1 halftime lead. The Eagles are a much better team than the final score reveals. The overtime match on the preceeding night took its toll in the second half and the Eagles simply ran out of gas. Hat tip to Ron Prater for his comment which I felt deserved to be up here.
The District 12 Final will be Chiefs versus Eagles on Thursday evening at 6:00 pm.
The District 11 games began this evening at Cooper Soccer complex with #5 Hillcrest facing off against #4 Lebanon. The two teams came in looking for a District win to add to their resumes and the result was a game that did not lack for attacking soccer. The Yellowjackets ability to score, combined with goalkeeper Matthew Gow’s effort, provided the difference and earned them a 5-0 shutout win. Goals were scored by …
In the second game, the #3 Waynesville Tigers faced off against the Central Bulldogs. The final score was Waynesville 5, Central 0.
The District 11 Semifinals will be Thursday evening at Cooper and will feature
5:00 pm #1 Glendale vs Lebanon
7:00 pm #2 Rolla vs Waynesville