INDEPENDENCE, Kan. – McPherson High School’s Boys Soccer team defeated the Independence Bulldogs on Thursday, Oct. 30, with a score of 3-0 to advance to the State Quarterfinals.
The Regional Semifinals had Manny Morales with a four-goal game. The Regional Finals showed nearly the same, but with Jackson Martin, who scored all three Bullpup goals. He almost scored a fourth, but that shot hit just off the crossbar.
The Bullpups in total had 10 shots on goal. Keeper Gabe Standfast made eight saves, not allowing a single goal in the postseason so far.
“The boys played a really solid game,” Head Coach Chris Adrian said. “Defensively, they did an outstanding job shutting down the opposition’s top players, forcing them to play sideways and backwards instead of attacking.”
Adrian also added to the team’s energy during the match. “The team competed hard all over the field and brought energy from start to finish,” Adrian said. “The positive energy throughout the team was contagious. The nerves we saw on Tuesday night were gone, and the group played with confidence and a strong mentality.”
McPherson will play at Rose Hill on Monday, Nov. 3, with kickoff set for 6:00 p.m. The Bullpups (10-8-0) are the No. 4 seed, while Rose Hill (16-2-0) is the No. 1 seed in the 4-1A West State Quarterfinals. The winner of the Quarterfinals heads to the Semifinals at Scheels Stryker Complex in Wichita.
