Keepers shine on Tuesday

The sun had already set, and there were only remnants of its light left over on the pitch on Tuesday night.  However, the athletes on the pitch at Washington High School weren?t going to leave until their match was settled.

In the fading light, the Washington and Mid-Prairie boys? soccer teams tasked their keepers with defending penalty kicks until a winner was determined.

?I knew it was low-light and everything, so I was focused in and was trying to keep my eye on the ball,? Mid-Prairie keeper Nathan Reed said.

After playing to a 1-1 draw, things were considerably more difficult for both teams? keepers in the penalty kick setting with dwindling light, as the Hawks and Demons each converted five of their first six attempts.

In the seventh round, Noah Altenhofen used the left post to bank his shot into the net for Mid-Prairie, and Reed came up with a save on the opposite end, clinching the 2-1 (6-5 PKs) victory over the Demons.

?Nathan (14 saves in the contest) is having an incredible year,? Mid-Prairie head coach Pat Cady said. ?If he continues on the pace that he is, I don?t see any reason he can?t be All-State for Class 1A. He was a little timid last year, but it?s a different Nathan this year. His hand coordination is phenomenal this year.?

On the other end, Washington keeper Thomas Zimmer was credited for 19 saves in the contest, continuing his strong start to the season.

?I?ve been impressed with Thomas this whole season,? Washington head coach Sally Hart said. ?It?s remarkable to see the confidence he?s playing with this season, especially being just a sophomore. He?s also one of our team captains and he?s really taken on that role.?

The Demons fell to 1-2 with the loss, while Mid-Prairie picked up its first win of the season, moving to 1-2.

The contest got off to a good start for the Demons, as they were awarded a penalty kick opportunity three minutes into the contest.

Freshman Matteo Hernandez connected on the shot to give the Demons an early lead, but the early penalty was a sign of the physical play to come the rest of the contest.

Cady said the hard tackles and collisions threw the Mid-Prairie offense off its game, and the Hawks couldn?t find the net in the first half.

?This game was going the wrong way,? Cady said. ?We don?t coach our kids to play this way; we teach them to play soccer.  American soccer is nothing like European soccer, because it?s not finesse, and you are going to get checked a lot. It was pretty rough.?

After halftime, the Hawks settled into their groove and wasted no time posting an equalizer, as a few nice touches led to Byron Yoder finding Terrhyn Jacoby netting a goal 20 seconds into the second half.

?That?s what we were supposed to be playing,? Cady said. ?It?s supposed to be possession with nice simple angles and nothing straight through. Sometimes we?d panic and play a through ball straight down the middle and that?s not an effective ball.?

The physical play continued after that, as each team failed to convert multiple chances in the half, sending the game into overtime.

After 20 more minutes, and the sun setting below the horizon, a winner still had yet to be determined, forcing penalty kicks.

Mid-Prairie jumped out to a 1-0 lead after round one, but Washington and the Hawks traded goals after that.

In the fourth round, Washington caught a break, with Zimmer earning the save, and Hernandez collecting the PK to tie it up.

The teams traded kicks in the sixth round, and Altenhofen found the back of the net in the seventh. Garret Ikerd?s shot for Washington found the chest of Reed, sparking the Mid-Prairie celebration.

?It was an aggressive game, to say the least,? Hart said. ?The kids gave it everything they had and played with all their hearts. I can?t be disappointed in their effort tonight.?

Both teams will be back in action on Thursday, as the Demons prepare to host conference rival Fairfield, while Mid-Prairie hosts Regina.

As Washington prepares for a rivalry game, their focus is to get recovered for the contest.

?We want to make sure we rest and get hydrated,? Hart said. ?We had a lot of guys cramp up at the end, but that?ll happen through two overtime periods. It?s never easy, but it?s just one game (on Thursday), so at least we won?t have to worry about losing light at the end. We played well tonight.?