Boys soccer: Mendota loses to defending state champs in PKs in sectional semi

CHILLICOTHE - Against the defending Class 1A state champions, the Mendota boys soccer team faced plenty of adversity Saturday.

The Trojans put the ball in the net in the first minute only to have the goal called off.

Twice, Mendota fell behind only to rally to tie the game.

But the Trojans couldn’t overcome one last hurdle, losing to Quincy Notre Dame 3-2 in penalty kicks in a Class 1A Illinois Valley Central Sectional semifinal.

“It could have gone either way. It’s a tough way to go, but I’m super proud of the kids and how we played today.”

—  Nick Myers, Mendota coach

It was the fourth year in a row the Trojans and Raiders met in a sectional and the third time in those four years QND eliminated Mendota from the postseason.

“I thought we played tremendous,” Mendota coach Nick Myers said. “We came in this year playing them with a lot more confidence than we did last year going against them. I thought we held our own. I thought we had numerous chances to punch more in than what we did.

“Credit to the boys for overcoming adversity. We score right away, and it’s disallowed, and then they get up on the scoreboard first. But we kept going. We tied it up. In overtime, we easily could have folded with two, three minutes left because things weren’t going our way after they scored, but we kept pushing, we kept trying, and because of our hard work we got the tying goal.

“PKs, it’s tough. It’s tough on keepers. It could have gone either way. It’s a tough way to go, but I’m super proud of the kids and how we played today.”

A minute into the game, Mendota’s Izaiah Nanez headed in a corner kick from Johan Cortez, but the goal was waived off.

“According to the official, we had hands on the back,” Myers said. “From where I was standing, I did not see that. Our guys didn’t argue a whole lot, so we might have. That was unfortunate, because that could have made the game just a little bit different scoring that early.

“We came out pretty hyped up as it was, and to get that goal in the first minute, things could have been different in that first half if that goal counted.”

Instead of the Trojans taking the early lead, the Raiders eventually got on the board first when Nolan Heck put a rebound into the net with 12:17 left in the first half.

The Trojans responded 3:05 later when Isaac Diaz scored after a scramble in front of the net on a corner kick, and the game remained 1-1 going to halftime.

“We did our job,” Myers said. “We wanted to go against the wind in the first half. I always like doing that to put the challenge on ourselves, and that way in the second half the wind is with us. I thought our kids did a nice job. We tied it, so we did our job. We kept us in the game in the first half.”

In the second half, the Trojans had two good chances in the first five minutes that sailed just over the net, and Ramiro Palacios fired a shot with 8:47 left that QND keeper Max Frericks punched over the goal.

Neither team scored in the second half nor in the first 10-minute overtime period.

The Raiders took the lead early in the second OT period when Mendota was whistled for a foul just outside the box and Leo Cann scored on the free kick with 6:36 left.

Mendota forced penalty kicks when David Casas headed in a free kick from Cortez with 1:34 left in OT.

In PKs, the Raiders shot first, and Cann made his attempt. Frericks made a diving stop on Cortez’s shot. After Rylan Fischer scored for QND, Diaz’s shot hit off the crossbar for Mendota. Brody Jones gave QND a 3-0 lead before Cesar Casas scored to keep the Trojans alive.

On QND’s fourth attempt, Frericks came out of the goal to score one and seal the win for the Raiders.

Mendota finishes the season 21-3-2 and played in its fifth consecutive sectional. The Trojans graduate five seniors — Nanez, Kaleb Kleckner, Fredy Mandujano, Logan Dewey and Bryan Herrera — but will return most of their starting lineup, including their top five goal scorers.

“It was a great season for us,” Myers said. “We’re close. We won a sectional two years ago and lost in PKs to go to state. We made it to the sectional final last year and sectional this year and almost knocked off the defending state champs.

“With this young group, now hopefully the confidence is sky high and other teams are losing some seniors and we’re bringing back a lot of kids, hopefully next year could be the year we get over that sectional and super-sectional hump and go the distance.”