08/31/2013
Game Write-Up from the Boys All A game by Kurt Braun
August 30, 2013
LCA 3 - Sayre 2 (PKs) All A Regional Championship
LCA Season Record 3-1-1
A packed house of Sayre and LCA fans were on hand at Larry Turner Stadium to witness one of the most exciting LCA boys soccer games in recent memory. The LCA student section may have been dressed like superheroes but it was the Eagles team who showed off their superpowers to secure a win that will live on in LCA soccer lore. After falling behind by two goals, the LCA team morphed from boys to Men of Steel-y Resolve to tie the contest in regulation. After triumphing in an agonizing PK shootout the Eagles were able to claim victory and another All A regional championship.
The visiting Spartans came into battle riding an impressive 4-0 start to their season and looking for revenge for the Eagles’ hard-fought 1-0 victory in last year’s All A regional championship between the same two teams. In the first half, Sayre star Harrison Dunn proved to be the kryptonite to LCA’s young Supermen. Dunn put the Spartans on the board only six minutes into the game, receiving a through ball after a perfectly-timed run beat the Eagle defense. After a touch around keeper Micah Penalva, Dunn tapped the ball into the net for an early 1-0 Sayre lead. Midway through the half Dunn made it a 2-0 Sayre advantage as he sailed a free kick from over 30 yards out just under the crossbar and into the back of the net. The Eagle defense was virtually iron-clad after that point, allowing Dunn only two shots the rest of the game while holding the entire rest of the Sayre roster without a single shot on goal. The Eagles didn’t shrink from their two goal deficit and in fact turned up the offensive heat from that point forward. The LCA efforts were rewarded with only 6 minutes remaining in the half with a Jordan Tackett goal. Zach Braun used his X-ray vision to spot a seam in the Sayre defense, putting a pass onto Tackett’s foot near the top of the box. Jordan picked his target near the left post to ring up his third goal of the year. So while the Eagles trailed 2-1 going into intermission, the tale of the tape tilted toward LCA as they outshot Sayre 7 to 3 in the half.
The second half proved to be all LCA as the Eagles’ depth paid dividends on a warm evening. LCA’s defense was stronger than a locomotive, while the Eagle midfielders and strikers did their best speeding bullet impersonations against the weary Spartans. Possession was dominated by the LCA boys, as they would end up outshooting Sayre by a stunning 16 to 1 margin in the second half, notching 7 shots on goal. But soccer purists know that opportunities don’t always result in goals, and as the second half wound down the Eagles were still searching for the equalizer. That equalizer came with 13 minutes remaining in the game on a pure effort play by Liam Hamilton. After Drew Graybeal sent a ball into traffic in the box, Hamilton managed to get a shot off that was blocked by Sayre keeper Robbie Goodman. While not needing to leap a tall building in a single bound, Hamilton did need to go over, through and around Sayre defenders to get a foot on the ball again. Hamilton sent the ball into the net and Eagle fans into a frenzy as the early 2-0 deficit was now a distant memory. As the horn sounded at the end of regulation and the teams prepared for PKs, the game took on an eerie resemblance to the All A regional championship between the same two teams in 2011. In that contest, the Eagles overcame a two goal deficit to win in PKs.
The penalty kicks commenced with Jordan Tackett getting the Eagles off to a good start with his successful PK to the lower right corner. Harrison Dunn kept pace for Sayre with a similar shot low and to the right. The second round of shooters started with LCA’s Hunter Mitchell converting his shot to the right side of the net. LCA keeper Micah Panalva then came up huge for the Eagles when he snuffed the second Sayre kick. After three kicks apiece, LCA found themselves in a dominating 3 to 1 lead when Zach Braun drilled his shot to the right side of the net while Sayre missed on a kick wide right. But just to add a little drama to the already tense proceedings, the Eagles missed their next two kicks while Sayre converted theirs. With the kicks tied after the initial five attempts by each team, another group of players were summoned for both teams as the PK shootout moved to the sudden death round. When LCA’s sixth PK was blocked, Sayre had a chance to win but their attempt hit the crossbar and another round of kicks ensued. Nicholas Clary calmly converted his kick but his Sayre counterpart did the same. Next up for the Eagles was Neil Lumm, who was wearing #15 when he took his PK but he may as well have been wearing a large “S” on his chest when he banged his PK into the goal. Lumm’s PK proved to be the winner when the following Sayre kick skimmed the top of the crossbar and sailed high, setting off an epic celebration for the LCA boys and their fans.
Congrats to the Eagles for matching their win total from all of last year in their first 5 games of the young season. The Eagles get set to open up district play on Thursday as they host Lexington Catholic and seek to add to their three game winning streak.
