The boys soccer team beat the Lindbergh Flyers 2-1 in penalty kicks.
Going into the game, head coach Thomas Wade knew it would be a tough match up because of Lindbergh’s 17-5 record and their experienced roster.
“We knew it was going to be one of the toughest battles because they also have a high number of seniors and they’re having a great season as well,” Wade said.
Neither team scored in the first half, but Wade said that they were playing well. He said the hard work paid off at the start of the second half, when senior Landin Hoyle scored on a free kick at 32:51.
“I felt that it was very evenly matched but we were playing really well. I felt like we were going to score at any time. To go up 1-0 felt like our hard effort was being rewarded,” Wade said.
The Falcons kept the lead until 12:02 was left in the half, when Tarik Kapetanovic of Lindbergh brought the score to 1-1. Hoyle said he was happy about his goal, but the team had to mentally reset after the Flyers tied the game.
“It was exciting, and a relief that we could score first, but then I knew that we still had to finish out the game. Then when they scored, it was kind of like restarting, but I knew that we could win,” Hoyle said.
The tie led the teams into two 10 minute overtimes, where Hoyle said the team was confident in their abilities but knew they had to keep challenging Lindbergh.
“We obviously didn’t want to give them any chances, because they are a good team and they could’ve scored, but I think that we knew they could win,” Hoyle said.
The tie continued through the first round of penalty kicks, where each team converted on four of their five shots. The teams then began another round of sudden death penalties, where a save from senior Griffin Green launched the Falcons to victory. Wade said that he was glad the team was able to practice penalty kicks before the Class 3 District 2 tournament.
“I felt happy that we got put into that environment because with Districts coming up, PKs are always a possibility. It’s good to get some practice in a real game situation before you get to that point,” Wade said.
Overall, Green said that the game was one of the team’s best performances because Lindbergh was such a tough competitor.
“It was one of our games this season. I think we struggled sometimes this season falling flat to some lesser teams, but I felt like we came out strong that night. Lindbergh could’ve kicked our butts if we didn’t come out strong that night, but we sure did, and it was a good game,” Green said.
