The boys soccer team fell to the Shawnee Mission East Lancers 2-1 Thursday, Oct. 5. The game was a rematch of last year’s substate matchup in which the Jaguars won to move on to state.
The Jaguars fell behind after conceding a goal near the end of the first half. Shawnee Mission East doubled their lead 2-0 in the second half, but the Jaguars fought back and earned a penalty toward the end. Junior Nic Schrag put away the penalty but the Lancers’ defense held for the rest of the game.
Sophomore Landon Vincent reflects on some positives from the game despite the loss.
“We fought hard and we competed,” Vincent said. “Everyone gave 100% effort. Obviously we lost but it was a good effort.”
Captain and junior Ronan Myers believed that both teams had the substate rematch circled on their calendar.
“Although they lost their starting keeper from last year, we knew that this was going to be a competitive and big game,” Myers said. “They also viewed us as a big game since we knocked them out in the substate game last year and it did end up being a competitive game tonight.”
The loss marks the fourth consecutive game that the team has failed to win. During this span, they have played without Myers on the field due to a season-ending injury. Although he cannot affect the game from on the field, he still tries to support his team from the sidelines.
“I miss being able to play with my teammates and compete at a high level,” Myers said. “Although I can’t be on the field, I just try to be vocal and encouraging to my teammates.”
Looking ahead, junior Drew Enloe notes how the team can improve in order to bounce back next week.
“I think they were just a really good team,” Enloe said. “I think as long as we stay organized in the back and then create more attacks, we’ll be fine for next week.”
