Eagles Lose 11-10 in PK Kicks After Exhausting Game and 2 Overtimes Tied 2-2

Tuesday, May 6th, was a beautiful evening for the beautiful game of soccer. Rhea County Eagles traveled to the Cleveland Raiders for a win-or-go-home playoff match at 7pm. Both the Eagles and the Raiders hold a long history of rivalry, physicality, and bitter calls that have held the Eagles coming out on the side to go home over the last few years. The Eagles stepped up to answer the battle call that Coach Justin Smith embarked upon them a few days earlier when he announced his retirement after 14 years of leading the soccer community and growing men on and off the pitch. Within the first four minutes of play, Trey Eldridge won a ball in the midfield and drove it up the sideline, crossing a beautiful ball right in front of the Raider’s net where Steven Henriquez 1-touch shot it past their keeper, Eagles up 1-0! The energy became electric, and the Eagles were there to battle with their fan base cheering them on! The Eagles showed control, great passing, teamwork, and heart as they controlled the tempo of the first half of the game. Around the halfway mark of the half, Levi Toliver had a direct kick at the 50 yard mark and blasted the ball inside of the 18 box, where Jackson Arnold was able to connect to it and once more, find the back of the Raider’s net, up 2-0. The physicality of the game never ceased, with an Eagle defender receiving a massive concussion early on in the first half and multiple yellow cards being handed out to Cleveland and Rhea both throughout the game. The second half saw the Raiders come out looking to even the score, as they picked up their physicality of the game and their flopping, but they controlled the tempo of the game the second half, outshooting the Eagles by more than 10 shots. There was a break in the Raider’s defense with 10 minutes left, where Henriquez stole the ball from the defender and the Cleveland goalie and went to drive in to finish the goal, but the Cleveland goalie snatched his neck and slammed him to the ground, automatically drawing an immediate red card, sent off the match for this game and the next 2 games. Even though the Raiders were down to 10 men, it seemed to fuel their anger and energy, and they became relentless in their drives and shots on the Eagles. The Eagles battled and held on, but injuries, cramps, and yellow cards were tiring them out. At the 1:40 mark left in the game, the Raiders managed to drive by the defenders and plant a powerful shot at the top of the 18 box into the upper corner of the net, Raiders now on the board, 2-1. The Eagles fought to stay calm and slow the game down, but the Raiders won each ball  and continued their drive down the field. A Raider flop in front of the ref on a header drew a direct kick around the 30 yard line and a yellow card for an Eagle defender, so the Raiders were quick to loft the ball inside of the 6 yard box, where 1 of their players was able to battle for it and finish it to tie the game up 2-2 with 16 seconds left in the game! This forced two double overtimes of 10 minutes each, both teams remaining scoreless despite their best efforts. Penalty kicks were the way to end it, and both teams came to show their prowess at them! In a battle, with Cleveland leading the kicks, Cleveland would score, then the Eagles would match. This pattern continued except for the 2nd kick of each team, where the Eagle goalie, Wes Robinson, and the Cleveland back-up goalie both made saves. Robinson also made a spectacular diving catch on Cleveland’s 5th kick, but the AR ref recalled it, stating he “ dove over the line”, so the Raiders were allowed a rekick, which they managed to finish. So at the end of the first 5 PK’s, the score was 4-4, so the PK’s automatically went into “sudden death” where the first team to miss would lose. The Eagles and Raiders both went head to head again, matching each PK to each other back-to-back, the excitement palpable with both Eagle’s and Raider’s fans screaming and cheering them on, drums banging, and players matching shot for shot. The game had taken so long that at one point, during the 8th or 9th PK, the timed stadium lights went out, leaving everyone in darkness, until they figured out how to turn them back on. After the 10th PK was shot and matched, players who had already shot were allowed to shoot again, starting the cycle over, which the Raiders and Eagles took advantage of. The 12th round is when the Raiders made theirs but the Eagle’s shooter’s ball hit the inside of the goal post and rolled across the front of the net, but never crossed the white line. Raiders won after 12 rounds with a score of 11-10 in PK’s, end of regulation game with a tie of 2-2. PK shooters for the Eagles to make their shots were Christian Martinez with 2, and all of the others with 1 goal apiece were Sawyer Campbell, Levi Toliver, Wes Robinson, Gio Lopez, Geo Pacheco, Jeremy Perez, Steven Henriquez, and Koelar Smith. Head Coach Justin Smith had this to say following the emotional ending and loss of the game, “ This was the wildest game I’ve ever coached. From the way we came out as the underdogs and opened up the game with 2 goals, to the stadium lights shutting off during penalty kicks, nothing about tonight could’ve been dreamed up. 12 rounds of PK’s after 100 minutes of play? Holding Cleveland scoreless for 78.5 minutes and then they score twice in 90 seconds to tie it up? I’ve had conversations with people over the years about how brutal this sport can be, and this is one of the games that proves it. Jurgen Klopp has a quote that says “If you only find football great when you win, you should stay at home. You have to accept that you can give everything and still lose.” And that’s exactly what happened tonight. We played perfectly for 98% of the game and lost. This one will hurt for a while. At the same time, it’s a great reminder that sports are a terrible god. They will always leave you wanting. That’s why I want our boys to know the God that will not leave them wanting, and HE proved that in His son, Jesus, who played perfectly for 100% of his life, then voluntarily took the loss we deserved, so we could have a victory. That’s a story worth telling! This senior group was special. My favorite quality as a whole was their love for the team. They loved to battle for each other, and that’s just not something you can coach. Each of these guys mean a lot to me and to their teammates, and they will be missed!” While the Eagle’s season ended Tuesday night, the fan bases and coaches could not be prouder of a well-fought game. It was everything fans and coaches would want in a game: tenacity, grit, physicality, passing and teamwork, yellow cards, goals, relentless behavior on never giving up on both teams, and an ending of PK’s that proved both teams had immaculate shooting. Always proud to be an Eagle! Here is to Coach Smith and his 14 years of legacy of leading the Eagle’s Brotherhood and leading young men to grow with each other on and off the pitch! Thank you, Coach Smith, and you will always be an Eagle!

Article and Photos by Audrey Norman