GENTRY — The Pioneers played against state runner up, Danville Little Johns, on Friday, April 22, in need of a win to still have a chance of getting into the state tournament.
It was a really intense first half. There were some physical plays on the field from both teams. The Pioneers had a couple of shots that were on target, but they didn’t get past the goalie. The Little Johns were quick and were really good with their touches on the ball. They had a couple of shots, but junior goalie, Kelsey James, was able to stop them. With about 20 minutes still left in the first half, the Little Johns were able to break the Pioneer defense and chip a shot right past James into the goal.
The Pioneers were frustrated after the shot and weren’t getting their way on the field. They played hard throughout the first half and were able to get a free kick from about 20 yards out from the goal. Sophomore forward Kevin Ochoa took the free kick, and the ball was placed a little high and skidded over the crossbar. The Pioneers headed into halftime down, 1-0.
“We knew we weren’t playing so well that first half," said Austin Fowler, Gentry senior. "We just need a confidence booster in the second half. We all knew what was going to happen if we lost this game. We just had to stay in it together and play this second half like it’s our last.”
The start of the second half went well for the Pioneers. The team got some shots on target and were stopping the Little Johns from getting near the goal. About 10 minutes into the second half, the Pioneers were able to get a corner kick. Junior, right wing, Braxton Gunneman, placed the ball perfectly to senior, center middle, Jared Rabb. Rabb kicked the ball past the goalie for a score.
It was crunch time for the Pioneers. They wanted the win. With about 10 minutes left, freshman, defender, Jason Gomez, had a handball inside the goalie box. The Little Johns kicked a penalty kick and got it past James by just a few inches. The Pioneers were down, 2-1, with about 8 minutes left.
The Pioneers fought hard and had another chance at scoring, but couldn’t connect with the goal and lost to the Little Johns, 2-1.
This officially took the Pioneers out of the state tournament and made the Pioneer’s conference record, 3-5.
“Win or lose, I love this team. Things didn’t go the way we wanted this season, but there is always next season," said Gunneman after the loss. "We just need to play this season out still like a team. It wasn’t the referees or that the other team was better than us, it was us making minor mistakes leading into big losses. We will learn how to fix those mistakes and get ready for next season.”