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Washington Evening Journal
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Panthers get pay back
Mt. Pleasant boys soccer team beats Fairfield for first time since 2019
MT. PLEASANT — Leading up to Thursday evening’s rivalry showdown between the Fairfield and Mt. Pleasant boys soccer teams, the Trojans had been in full control. During this year’s first showdown at East Lake Park, the Panthers finally came out on top.
After going through two overtimes tied 1-1, the rivals went into penalty kicks with the game on the line. Mt. Pleasant outlasted Fairfield 4-2 in PKs to snap a seven-game losing streak in the Highway 34 rivalry.
Despite a few chances from both sides, neither team could break out in the first half. Defenses held strong and the Trojans and Panthers were tied 0-0 at the break.
Mt. Pleasant had been getting the majority of the chances late in the first half, but Fairfield began to turn the tide when the Trojans flipped the field in the second half.
Fairfield eventually earned a penalty kick on a handball in the box. Fairfield’s Jaxen Allen put the shot on goal, but a diving save from Mt. Pleasant keeper Xachary LaBlanc kept the game tied.
“If there is anybody I want in the goal for PKs or shoot out, it's Xach,” Mt. Pleasant head coach Rocco Russo said. “I'm so proud of him.”
Mt. Pleasant finally broke through the mode on offense with under seven minutes on the clock. The Panthers made it 1-0 when Axel Noriega Ruiz sneaked a ball past diving Fairfield keeper Dalton Drish, rolling it into the left side of the goal.
The Panthers seemed to be on the verge of a regulation victory, but Fairfield had plenty of fight left. Drish bombed a long pass from the goal, which found Allen with some space, and the Trojan senior buried the equalizer with 1:05 remaining.
After a pair of scoreless overtime periods, the two teams lined up for the shoot out. Mt. Pleasant’s Kolbein Ostby, Dylan White and Jonah Zimmer all scored on their attempts, but Fairfield’s Chaz Wohnoutka and Bihn Truong scored as well, making it 3-2 going into the fifth round.
Mt. Pleasant’s Caleb Reyes Carrillo lined up for the game-winning kick and rolled it past Drish to finish out a marathon of a game.
“These guys responded exactly how champions do, and I'm so proud of them,” said Russo. “I'm so happy for our boys right now.”
During the shootout, LaBlanc made another diving save, giving him eight on the day.
“I just really care about my teammates,” said the Panthers’ sophomore keeper. “To put my self on the line is a great privilege, and I'm blessed to be able to do something like this.”
On the other end, Drish finished the day with five saves for the Trojans.
Leading into Thursday, the Trojans had outscored Mt. Pleasant 30-1 during their seven-game winning streak in the series.
Mt. Pleasant and Fairfield both moved to 1-1 on the young season. The Panthers started Southeast Conference play 1-0, while the Trojans began 0-1.
