SHS season ends on penalty kicks

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Hope turned to heartbreak Tuesday night for the Sikeston Bulldogs.

Playing the top-ranked Perryville Pirates to penalty kicks in the Class 2, District 1 semifinals, Sikeston saw a pair of late misses result in a 2-1 loss that ended the Bulldogs' season short of the title game for the second straight year.

"I don't think we could have played any harder than we played," Sikeston head coach Gabe Dement said. "For 110 minutes we left it out there on the field.

"I just hate that it has to end on penalty kicks. It takes the soccer element out of the game and it becomes a shootout."

Tuesday's shootout was only the second time the Bulldogs had been to penalty kicks this season with Sikeston edging out Cape Central 3-2 to open Notre Dame Soccerfest.

Perryville on the other hand had previously settled games on kicks twice, winning one and losing the other.

Both teams started out hot as each of their first four strikers found the net before a fifth and final attempt by the Pirates sailed high, leaving the Bulldogs with a chance to win on their next kick.

Unfortunately for Sikeston, a low shot at center-net by Chase Baran sailed into the arms of Perryville goalie Luke Dobbelare to force an extra attempt from both teams. A low kick inside the right goal post by Pirate junior Michael Volansky put all the pressure back on Sikeston on their final kick.

With no room for error, Gavin O'Brien sent a another shot low and to the center of the net, which allowed Dobbelare to scoop it up to seal the win.

"My keeper told me if we could put five in he'd win it for us," Perryville head coach Jerry Fulton said of Dobbelare. "We put five in, but we had to take six shooters to do it. He didn't give me that information.

"Sikeston played a very good game. I think we outshot a little bit, but they played an excellent game and Gabe had them ready. They should be very proud."

Midway through regulation it looked like Sikeston would keep the pressure on the Pirates as they came out of the half and scored just over two minutes into the second half.

Following a throw in by Steven Baker to the front of the net from the left sideline, Sam Cox shielded multiple defenders before taking the ball and sending a kick in sideways.

Cox's shot found its way through the defense and dribbled past the goalie to give Sikeston a 1-0 advantage.

As quickly as they grabbed the lead, however, the Bulldogs found themselves back in a tie game after a breakdown on defense.

Just two minutes after Cox's shot put the Pirates in a hole it was Matt Moran knotting things back up on a kick from high in the box that got past a diving Caleb Hampton in goal.

"They transitioned on us, the ball got loose at the top of the box and the kid hammered a shot," Dement said. "Our keeper read the shot, but it got deflected off one of our defenders and wrong-footed Caleb. Nothing he could do there."

Both teams had plenty of opportunities the final 36 minutes of regulation, but ultimately settled for overtime. After fending off several late attacks by the Pirates to end regulation, including a diving save by Hampton on a potential game-winner in the closing minutes, the Bulldogs came out in the first overtime as the aggressor.

It was after both teams saw several near-misses fly wide in both overtimes that the two teams saw their season come down to penalty kicks.

After watching his team sink four straight shots, Fulton admitted he didn't like his chances with one of the Bulldogs' best scorers coming up for their final kick.

"I thought for sure we had lost it when Chase (Baran) came up to be their fifth kicker," Fulton said. "When our fifth guy put it over the net (before) I thought Sikeston had won. I really did."

Said Dement of the last two shots, "I just think they put it a little too far down the middle and didn't find an outside third, which happens. When you leave a soccer game to a shot, one-on-one with the goalie, anything can happen."

With the loss the Bulldogs finish the season at 15-10-1 and are set to lose a senior group that has seen its share of success the past four years.

This includes such core players as Baker, Baran, O'Brien, Hampton, Jared Boyd and Kaleb Newton.

"All six of them have an incredible amount of heart," Dement said of his seniors. "They due anything I ask of them and they're going to be sorely missed. They definitely left the program in better shape than they found it. I already told them whatever they need I got their back."