Tonganoxie – In a playoff game that nearly lasted three hours while going through four sudden death overtime periods and 10 rounds of penalty kicks, junior defender Sergio Medrano looked to give the boys soccer team the lead in what would be the final round of penalty kicks, setting up a save opportunity for sophomore goalkeeper Nathan Steinlage.
Despite not planning to participate in the sudden death shootout, Medrano lined up calm, cool and collected, and proceeded to bury the game-winning kick out of the reach of the Tonganoxie goalkeeper.
Steinlage then made the ensuing save to seal the deal for Eudora, handing them a 7-6 advantage in the shootout and a 2-1 overall victory over the Tonganoxie Chieftains Monday night at Tonganoxie in the first round of the KSHSAA 4A Postseason Regional Tournament. See video here.
“I just knew I had to score,” Medrano said. “There was a lot of misses for me, and I just knew it had to go. I just knew I had to put it behind the net.”
Following the Steinlage save, the feeling was all jubilation for the Cardinals (6-9-2), as head coach Darren Erpelding emphasized his excitement for a group that has had its fair share of ups and downs throughout 2022.
“I thought our guys played really hard,” Erpelding said. “I thought our guys really controlled the majority of the game. It’s a testament to these guys playing in tough games all year long. I’m really proud of the boys.”
The first half of the contest featured a scoreless affair between the two teams, despite each side having their fair share of chances to put one in the back in the net, but the defenses stood tall and kept the game deadlocked at 0-0 heading into halftime.
The defenses continued to play stout to begin the second half, but with approximately 28 minutes left in regulation, the Chieftains struck first on a deflection that found its way home, giving them the much needed 1-0 lead.
Eudora attempted several times late in the final 40 minutes to knot up the score at one apiece, but Tonganoxie’s defense rejected every chance they had until the final three minutes of regulation.
With under three minutes remaining in the second half, senior attacking midfielder Parker Hurla found himself ahead of the Chieftains defense and got himself a breakaway opportunity to score, which he promptly converted, tying the game at 1-1, sending their crowd into euphorium.
The game then went into overtime following Hurla’s game-tying goal, as Eudora felt they were in position to win based on how they played throughout regulation.
“If we play how we should play, we’ll end the game with a win,” Steinlage said. “We had a little bit of when we weren’t agreeing, but once we got past that, we ended up getting it.”
The first overtime featured a 10-minute scoreless draw, with neither team creating chances to score, and the game therefore went into a second overtime with both teams hoping for one golden opportunity to win the game for their side.
The Cardinals nearly won it during the second 10-minute sudden death overtime period following a Tonganoxie trip inside the box, forcing a Eudora penalty kick off the foot of Hurla.
However, the penalty shot was saved and despite the rebound being scored by Eudora, the apparent game winning goal was called offside and the game continued to a third five-minute overtime period.
“You got to go to the next play,” Erpelding said. “You can’t sit there and dwell on that because next thing you know they get a through ball and they go finish the game. It’s one of those things that you just got to move on.”
In the first of two five-minute overtimes, the defense continued their stringent play from the first half, forcing a second five minute overtime and the fourth overall overtime of the contest.
Eventually, the game went to penalty kicks following the fourth overtime period, and each team then lined up their best players to try and win it once and for all.
Each team went back and forth through each of the first four sudden death rounds, but Medrano stepped up in round No. 10, and located his spot to send it in for a 7-6 lead.
Steinlage then made the following game clinching save to win it for the Cardinals, and then the emotions from the sophomore goalkeeper started to pour out, knowing how up and down this game truly was for his side.
“It felt great,” Steinlage said. “I knew I had to do my job, and I knew my teammates would do theirs. It was great to earn a win like that.”
The team now awaits their next opponent for the second round of the regional tournament, which will either be Baldwin or Atchison. The game is set for Thursday with a time still yet to be announced.
“I honestly can’t say enough,” Erpelding said. “The thing that’s so awesome is they play for each other. They truly love each other. I’m super proud of them.”
See post-match video interviews here.
If you appreciate our sports coverage, please donate. Our newspaper depends on your donations to provide coverage of Eudora and continue providing local news.
To donate to support our community journalism, please go to this link: tinyurl.com/y4u7stxj
Reach reporter Gus Baylow at [email protected].
