ELBING, Kan. – The McPherson High School boys soccer team saw their emotional season come to a close in a 3-0 loss at Berean Academy on Monday night in the State quarterfinals.
It was a tough night for the Bullpup offense as they had four shots on goal but were unable to find the back of the net. Hunter Schroeder made three saves from his goalkeeper position, but the Warriors were able to put three through for the shutout win in the end.
McPherson finished another solid year at 13-6. The last three weeks of the season were undoubtedly difficult for the program. They had a week without their head coach Chris Adrian to finish their final three games of the regular season. Adrian returned after the tragic loss of his six-year-old son Cole to help lead the team to a regional title.
Adrian sums up the quarterfinal match and the emotions of the season and the past few weeks below.
It just wasn’t our night, and unfortunately, the ball didn’t bounce our way. But one thing that was never in question was the heart, effort, and determination of this group of boys. They gave everything they had, right up until the final whistle.
Berean got on the board early after a ball skipped through behind our defense. From that point on, I thought we played some really good soccer, but we just couldn’t find the finish. The field was a sloppy mess, with players slipping and sliding throughout the night, making an already difficult game even more challenging.
The second half started with a lot of promise as we created a couple of good opportunities. Then Dima Peters hit a great shot that hit the inside of the post and somehow rolled right across the face of the goal. With the wet conditions, it’s hard to believe that ball didn’t find its way into the net. As time began to run down, we pushed more players forward in search of an equalizer, knowing it would leave us vulnerable to the counterattack. It was a risk we had to take with less than 20 minutes remaining. Unfortunately, Berean capitalized on those opportunities with a couple of late goals, bringing our season to an end in the state quarterfinals.
While tonight didn’t end the way we had hoped, I could not be more proud of this group and everything they accomplished this season. They hosted two postseason games and put together one of the best regular-season records we’ve had in many years, all while playing an extremely difficult schedule. More importantly, this group grew into something special. Through adversity and challenges, these boys became a family.
The last couple of weeks have been especially meaningful. They continued to fight for one another, supported each other, and, in many ways, helped carry me through these final games as well. That’s something I’ll never forget.
The scoreboard says our season is over, but it doesn’t begin to tell the story of this team. I’m incredibly proud of these boys, and I’ll always be grateful for the memories, the friendships, and the family we built along the way.
