​Eagles soccer can’t hold off second-half outburst from Falcons in 3-1 loss

by Michael Smith, Grain Valley News
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Grain Valley boys soccer head coach Brett Lewis said his Eagles executed the game plan well for the first 40 minutes.
 
The Eagles had to stick to Lewis’ game plan in Monday’s non-conference matchup against a dynamic Van Horn squad.
 
Van Horn outshot Grain Valley 4-2, but the teams went into halftime tied at 0. In the second half, the game got away from the gameplan some as Van Horn senior Abdulhi Islow scored two of the Falcons’ three second-half goals in a 3-1 loss on the road.
 
“We wanted to play tough and physical,” said Lewis, whose team fell to 1-1 overall. “We knew we weren’t going to create a billion opportunities. We were playing more of a defensive style because we were trying to bottle up their midfield. I thought in the first half we did a really good job of that.
 
In the second half, we got a little bit away from that. We weren’t as committed to it. That’s why they scored the first goal in the first 6-7 minutes of the half.”
 
Van Horn (3-1) broke through in the 44th minute when Van Horn senior Adrian Flores sent a corner kick in front of the goal. The ball deflected off a Grain Valley defender and sat right at the goal line. Islow knocked in the ball with a sliding kick before an Eagle defender or Grain Valley goalkeeper Luke Crawford could get there to give his team a 1-0 advantage.
 
Grain Valley got the equalizer when the officials called Van Horn for a foul inside its own penalty box when the Eagles had possession. That resulted in Miguel putting in a penalty kick in the 58th minute.
 
Just when it seemed like Grain Valley got some momentum, the Falcons immediately took it back, scoring a goal less than a minute later. Junior Dael Umanzor received a cross from Flores and he quickly tapped in a shot inside the right post for a 2-1 lead.
 
“It’s deflating when you tie it and then in the next 60 seconds, they go down and score a goal and go up 2-1. We need to defend better. We will learn from it,” Lewis said.
 
Islow put it away in the 74th minute when he received a diagonal pass from senior Jan Carlo Pena. He then decked a Grain Valley defender and curved a shot inside the right post and in to put the Falcons up 3-1.
 
Five minutes before that, Van Horn Kester Phillips made a perfectly-timed save when Grain Valley got the ball keep in Falcon territory. Junior Cooper Bousselot crossed the ball to senior Lukas Gutauskas, who ran in from the left wing.
 
His shot was blocked by Phillips in what ended up being a huge play.
 
“That was a great cross by Bousselot and a great run from the wing by Gutauskas,” Lewis said. “The keeper, to his credit, made a great save. He came in and closed down the angle a little bit. Gutsaukas had to hit it perfectly to make that. If that goes in, it changes the momentum of the game.”
 
The Eagles were without one of their best players – senior Cohen Hackworth – who was suspended for one game by Lewis due to disciplinary reasons.

Grain Valley junior defender Cooper Bousselot tries to get by Van Horn senior Emilio Hernandez near midfield. Photo credit: Michael Smith
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Grain Valley junior Alvi Miguel races down the field during a 3-1 loss to Van Horn Monday on the road. Miguel scored Grain Valley's only goal in the second half. Photo credit: Michael Smith
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