KEARNEY, Mo. — Chandler Peterson found the easiest way to bring Platte County out of a losing skid: offense.
The Pirates shifty junior midfielder tallied four goals in a second straight game during a 6-1 dismantling of Suburban Conference Blue Division rival Kearney on Monday, Sept. 19 at Kearney High School. At this point, teammates and coaches know what to expect from the returning all-state player, and he continues to deliver during the team’s best runs of play this season.
Platte County improved to 6-4 overall and 2-1 in Blue Division play with Peterson accounting for nine of 13 goals so far in league play.
“We look to him for our goals, and he’s definitely our top scorer and we know when he gets the ball he’s going for the goal so we try to make sure that our other players are up supporting in there.” Platte County coach Ashlyn Brantley said.
Kearney actually struck first in the first minute to take a 1-0 lead, and Platte County’s offense needed time to build.
NICK INGRAM/Citizen photo
Platte County senior midfielder Mason Hays hits a pass against Kearney on Monday, Sept. 19 at Kearney High School in Kearney, Mo.
Blake Cochran, a sophomore forward, leveled for the Pirates 4 minutes after the opening goal, and Peterson gave them the lead for good in the 23rd minute with his first goal. The lead stuck at 2-1 going into halftime.
“The first half we were kind of up and down a little bit,” Brantley said. “We’d have a lull in there then we’d have moments of intensity and hard work.”
The rest of Platte County’s offense came in the final 15 minutes.
Jonathan Anguiano extended the lead to 3-1 before Peterson scored three times in a row. In all three instances, he took the ball straight to the defenders before beating the goalkeeper.
“We started out slow, but at the end, we started to dominate and goals just started to flow in.” Peterson said.
With the defensive backline holding Kearney in check, the offense found time to make adjustments and turn the once frail lead into a blowout. Platte County had scored two or more goals in the straight games heading into a Tuesday, Sept. 20 Blue Division matchup at Grandview.
“Second half (against Kearney), I think we figured it out that we needed to keep the ball and keep it simple and keep it moving which helped us out a lot.” Brantley said. “When (Peterson) started scoring the goals, I think they started to build up a little confidence and just kept going with that momentum.”
Park Hill South 4, Truman 0
The Panthers tallied all four goals before halftime in a Suburban Conference Red Division win Monday, Sept. 19 at Park Hill District Soccer Complex in Riverside, Mo.
Dan Geary scored twice in a row sandwiched around goals for Tyler Pisoni (12th minute) and Nylo Clarke (38th minute). Geary assisted on Clarke’s goal.
Park Hill South outshot the Patriots 13-2, and Noah Brizendine made two saves to record the shutout. The Panthers improved to 8-1-1 overall and 4-0 in Red Division play.
Park Hill South 4, Liberty North 0
After taking an early lead in the first half, the Panthers completed their fifth straight shutout on Wednesday, Sept. 14 at Park Hill District Soccer Complex in Riverside, Mo.
Clarke scored two more to continue his recent run of offense, but Geary put Park Hill South up 1-0 in the second minute, a lead that held until halftime. Clarke scored his two goals sandwiched around one from Hall in the second half.
Daniel Gunderson and Hall assisted on Clarke’s goals, while Isaac Hen set up Hall’s marker.
Liberty North took only two shots, and Brizendine saved both for the shutout.
Platte County 4, Raytown South 2
The Pirates ended a two-match losing streak behind four goals for Peterson on Thursday, Sept. 15 at Pirate Stadium. They had lost two in three days, including a 3-2 defeat in the Blue Division opener against Belton three days earlier.
Platte County 1, Kearney 1 (suspended)
The two teams were tied going into halftime Tuesday, Sept. 13 at Pirate Stadium when inclement weather led to a delay. The game was eventually postponed to Oct. 12 when the game will pick up at the start of the second half.
Lee’s Summit West 5, Park Hill 0
The Trojans were shut out for a fourth time in five games Thursday, Sept. 15 in Lee’s Summit, Mo.
Park Hill trailed 1-0 at halftime before allowing four more in the second half on the way to a fifth consecutive loss. The Trojans also dropped to 0-5 in Suburban Conference Gold Division play.