​Eagles soccer season comes to end in 5-0 loss to Bruins

by Michael Smith


Grain Valley head boys soccer coach Brett Lewis knew Thursday’s game was going to be a stiff challenge.

His Eagles, the No. 4 seed in the Class 4 District 7 Tournament and had a matchup with No. 1 seed Columbia Rock Bridge in the semifinals.

It was a giant step up from the competition Lewis’ team faced during the regular season in Suburban White Conference play and that was apparent from the get-go. The Bruins were well organized and physical in the matchup as they dominated en route to a 5-0 victory, ending Grain Valley’s season.

Rock Bridge capitalized off set pieces early as senior forward Parker Rainwater chipped in a shot off a corner kick and senior forward Henry Jenks bounced a direct free kick off the inside of the left post of the Grain Valley goal, past goalkeeper Alex Tuttle and into the net to help the Bruins take a 2-0 lead.

“Giving up a goal in the first 7 minutes was not planned,” Lewis said. “With their size advantage, they have multiple guys who are 6-3 and 6-4, just big dudes, we didn’t want to give those opportunities for set pieces away.

“We defended teams in our conference and teams close to our size decently well. It’s a different level when you’re playing against one of the top teams in Class 4 with their size, speed and athleticism. It’s hard to compete with. They thrive on set pieces.”

In the 19th minute, a ball deflected of an Eagle defender inside the 18-yard box and Bruin junior Alex Imhoff put in the rebound from the top of the box to make it 3-0.

Sophomore Nicholas Timbrook knocked in a point-blank shot off his shin in the 52nd minute and Oliver Parsons put in a close-range shot off a corner kick from Jenks in the 56th minute to cap the scoring for Rock Bridge.

Grain Valley (14-8) had a few opportunities to score but were unable to find the back of the net. Sophomore Cooper Bousselot had a direct free kick from the right wing in the first half, but junior Alexander Doolin couldn’t connect on a header attempt near the far post midway through the first period.

Junior Lukas Gutauskas had two open shots in the second half. One was from the top of the box that went just wide right of the Rock Bridge goal and the other was from the far-right sideline, which goalkeeper Jackson Hinkel made a leaping save on.

“We created some opportunities, but the story of the season has been that we haven’t been great at finishing,” Lewis said.

The Eagles ended their season with their best record since 2021, a Suburban White Conference title and will graduate five seniors.

“Our seniors were so instrumental in helping us recover from a 5-win season last year,’ Lewis said. “They really helped us win conference. I am not sure many people were expecting that from this group.”

The Grain Valley boys soccer team holds a post game team meeting following a season-ending loss to Columbia Rock Bridge Thursday at Blue Springs South High School in the Class 4 District 7 semifinals. Photo credit: Michael Smith