A night of much frustration for Platte County’s boys soccer team ended with jubilation after Ian Matthews scored the sudden-death goal in double overtime on Oct. 15 against William Chrisman.
It was one-way traffic for nearly the entire match. Still, Platte County found itself in a 1-0 hole until a second-half equalizer set up for an overtime winner against a William Chrisman team that had lost 11 straight with just two wins all season.
Platte County outshot William Chrisman 22-8, with many of the Pirates’ opportunities firing off frame or into a defender. It was the main symptom of a frustrating night that ended in delight.
“It’s always good to be creating those chances as well,” Platte County head coach Ashlyn Brantley said. “We had opportunities in the first half, we had opportunities in the second half, now we need to focus more on finishing those chances that we created.”
The Bears showed what they were capable of early on with three shots from distance in the first six minutes. From then on, the Pirates dominated.
Ryan Waldman had the first couple of shots for Platte County, cutting in from the left wing, but his efforts misfired off target. The Pirates continued searching for the go-ahead goal and they eventually found their first shot on target midway through the first half when Cameron Habel intercepted a pass and drove into the box before having his shot saved.
A rare movement into William Chrisman’s attacking third gave the Bears a game-altering reward when physical play near the edge of the box resulted in a penalty kick with 15:17 remaining in the first half. William Chrisman freshman Gervin Orellana stepped forward for the penalty kick, firing it with enough pace down the middle to fly past the goalkeeper to give the visitors a 1-0 advantage.
Platte County sophomore Kayden Roy unleashes a shot through traffic against William Chrisman.
The punch in the mouth didn’t cause panic among the Pirates, who kept driving for the equalizer. Shortly after taking the 1-0 lead, the Bears blocked a shot off the line from an indirect free kick — a theme that continued to save the Bears throughout much of the contest.
“Keep your heads up and keep taking the chances,” Brantley said of her message to the team. “I told them at halftime, you have to be patient. You can’t force the type of play going forward. Keep working the ball, it will come.”
The frustration continued boiling into the second half, when they still trailed 1-0. Midway through the second half, sophomore goalkeeper Jack Girdner came up with a critical save for Platte County, diving high to his right to brilliantly deny William Chrisman’s effort from 28 yards out.
Platte County’s breakthrough moment finally came after 68 minutes, coming from a Waldman long throw. As he launched the ball into the box, William Chrisman’s goalkeeper misjudged the flight of the ball, allowing Habel an opportunity to poke the ball into a lightly guarded net from eight yards out.
Platte County senior Cameron Habel wasted no time celebrating his equalizer against William Chrisman — rather, he was eager to for the Pirates’ second goal.
The sense of relief at finding the equalizer was quickly replaced by renewed energy and urgency to grab the go-ahead goal as the Pirates rattled a shot off the post moments later. They pushed right to the end of regulation, when Habel nearly grabbed the go-ahead score in the final 30 seconds with an acrobatic overhead kick, but the shot was well-saved by the Bears’ goalkeeper diving backwards to his left.
Level at 1-1 after 80 minutes, golden goal overtime followed. It resembled much of the game, with the Pirates creating opportunities but unable to direct shots on frame after the first 10-minute overtime period ended without a game-winner.
Platte County finally brought an end to all the chaos in the 92nd minute, when Mathews stepped up in a big moment. The senior midfielder used his right foot to launch a missile into the top corner, leaving no doubt of the final destination.
Ian Matthews takes a set piece for Platte County.
“Your mind just kind of shuts down,” Mathews said. “Just go to your basics and get the best shot off you can.”
Mathews took the 22nd shot for the Pirates to deliver an important victory for Platte County as they improved to 8-9 on the season with their second straight win. It was a positive end to a frustrating night.
“Morale was high when we went into overtime, so we just tried to keep that going,” Mathews said. “I was trying not to do what I did in the first half, when I kept missing a bunch.”
The Pirates conclude the season with home matches against Ruskin (Oct. 20) and Belton (Oct. 22) before visiting Grain Valley (Oct. 29). The Pirates hope to find some more consistent form before postseason play begins on Nov. 3 with the Class 4 District 8 tournament.
“We’ve got to find corners,” Brantley said. “We’ve got to find corners sooner and just not just blast it.”