Though the record may not show it, the Platte County boys soccer team has shown progress despite losing four of its first five games.
The Pirates lost all three matches in the Park Hill Invitational to start the season, but earned their first victory on Sept. 8, handing Park Hill its first loss of the season.
Junior forward Ryan Waldman scored from a penalty kick seven minutes into the contest, sending the Trojans’ goalkeeper the wrong way while playing the ball towards the right side. Waldman struck again just 37 seconds later, helping the Pirates take advantage of a set piece after Park Hill failed to clear the ball as Waldman volleyed the ball into an empty net from six yards out.
There was still much work to be done for Platte County, which got into halftime with a 2-0 lead intact. Park Hill applied more pressure in the second half, eventually finding a breakthrough in the final 10 minutes, but Platte County held on to secure the 2-1 victory.
“It meant a lot,” Brantley said of defeating Park Hill a week after losing to them in the season-opener. “It gave us some confidence, a good home opener to have and win. We have to take something from each of the games that we’ve been playing to make ourselves better as a team.”
The Pirates opened up their conference schedule on home turf, suffering a 3-2 defeat against Fort Osage on Sept. 10. It was a constant game of catch-up for Platte County, which conceded from a corner kick inside the opening five minutes.
Platte County pulled level when sophomore central defender Kai James-Gallimore won the ball in the Pirates’ defensive third, thrusting the Pirates on a counter-attack from which Waldman finished with a nifty flick across the front post from a Camden Noller assist on the right side. The Pirates pushed for another from outside the box, but were unable to present any accurate threats towards the goal before halftime.
Platte County sophomore defender Kai James-Gallimore looks for the next play against Fort Osage on Sept. 10.
Fort Osage came out strong in the second half again, capitalizing on another set piece poorly dealt with by Platte County as the visitors went ahead 2-1 inside the opening three minutes of the half.
Less than a minute later, the Indians struck again as a ball was looped into the box and volleyed in, putting Fort Osage ahead 3-1. The Indians pushed for yet another, striking the frame of the goal shortly after taking the 3-1 advantage.
Platte County eventually settled in and fought valiantly as Weldman won and converted a penalty kick, sliding the ball past the goalkeeper’s left side with nearly 30 minutes remaining. The Pirates pushed for another equalizer, but were unable to create it as they suffered a 3-2 defeat.
“They’re not giving up,” Brantley said. “To stay in the fight is always a good thing in what I want from my players. To see that they continued to fight on is always a good thing, we just have to build off of it.”
Brantley knows her team can perform better than they showed against Fort Osage. She was disappointed in the team’s inconsistent play, wanting to see the Pirates keep better possession and closing down opponents with greater tenacity.
“We can’t show well in the first half and not well in the second half,” Brantley said. She has seen positive signs of better possession in the past couple of games, leading to more chance creation, and has also seen promising signs defensively.
Platte County moved to 1-4 on the season, 0-1 in conference play of the Greater Kansas City White Division. The Pirates’ five-game homestand concludes this week with matches against Truman (Sept. 15), Raytown (Sept. 17) and St. Joseph Central (Sept. 18).