The boys soccer team started the season on a high note Monday night as the Cardinals grinded out a 2-1 victory over Lansing.
The win was not the prettiest in the eyes of head coach Darren Erpelding, but Erpelding said he was relieved the team was able to start the season with a win.
“It’s always tough to get the first one out of the way, and it’s nice to get it done the first game, then you’re not pressing for the games coming up,” Erpelding said.
Erpelding said he thinks this win is a good example of the team’s maturity heading into this season.
“That’s a game last year we would’ve lost,” he said. “So, just to see that maturity and, OK, yes, it’s a 5A school, they’re a solid side, but to be able to go out and then come away with the win and kind of grind through it was a big, big step. A lot of maturity. We saw a lot of maturity tonight.”
Lansing was the aggressor early on and controlled the ball for much of the first half, which made it hard for the Cardinals to get things going on offense.
Lansing’s YaYa Navarrete scored early in the game to put the Cardinals in a 1-0 hole.
But a switch seemed to flip late in the half for the Cardinals and they started to gain some momentum.
“I think it was really our mentality and our coaches were telling us to be more physical,” junior Brayden Hayes said. “So, we listened to them and pushed through.”
Senior Kaden Kerr was able to find the back of the net for the Cardinals with about seven minutes left in the first half to tie things up before halftime.
Erpelding said he and his coaching staff challenged the players to keep the physicality up heading into the second half, and the team stood up to the test.
“For them to do that was huge,” Erpelding said. “That’s kind of a step we’ve been missing a little bit and they stepped up and did that tonight. I think that was really the difference in the game.”
The Cardinals’ second half aggression paid off early as Hayes scored what turned out to be the winning goal only about 10 minutes into the half. Senior Derek Lehmann provided the assist.
Hayes said his goal was just him being in the right place at the right time.
With a lot of time left to play, the Cardinals still had to prevent Lansing from tying the game.
Junior goalie Nate Steinlage was able to handle this task as he had 11 saves on the night and denied Lansing on several opportunities late in the game.
Even though his goal protection helped the team secure the victory, Steinlage said he can be even better.
“There’s always stuff to improve on, and myself I’m really picky on what I do. So, there’s definitely things to improve on tonight,” Steinlage said.
Erpelding said he was happy with how Steinlage distributed the ball and with how fast the defense played in the second half, which helped shut down Lansing’s chances and put the Cardinals back on the attack.
“We want to high press [defensively], and first half, we didn’t do it because I think we were trying to feel our way out,” Erpelding said. “Second half, we did that, and it turned out the guys I think enjoyed it a lot more because they were getting interceptions and going to goal, and that’s what we kept trying to tell them, ‘Hey, this way you get to play.’ I think they enjoyed it once they figured it out.”
It’s a fast turnaround for the Cardinals as they will head to Paola today (Tuesday) to take on the Panthers.
Steinlage said the team will quickly put this win behind them to focus on Paola.
“Kind of just going in full force expecting a hard challenge and just not overlooking them,” he said.
The Cardinals will kick off against Paola at 6:15 p.m. today. The team plays at Bishop Miege at 6:15 p.m. Thursday.
Watch the Kaw Valley State Bank Post-Game Show featuring Hayes, Steinlage and Erpelding to get their full thoughts on Monday’s game.
Reach reporter Jack Denebeim at [email protected]
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