Senior goalkeeper Noah Laughlin stood in the goal with the bi-district championship on the line. Laughlin blocked the fourth penalty kick shot from Rudder, giving the Panthers a 4-3 lead in the shootout and a chance to win the game.
Senior Joaquin White walked up to the penalty line as the fifth player to shoot. After making his goal, the team stormed the field in celebration. Clipboards, pinnies and soccer balls were thrown in the air as the boys advanced to the Area finals.
“They’re just focused,” head coach Christian Boehm said. “They’re ready to go. They know what’s at stake. We’ve been here before. We’ve been here the last two years. So the boys, they really know what this is like and what the atmosphere is like. And we know that we are the best team every time we step on the field. We just have to continue to show that.”
After defeating Rudder (11-7-4) in penalty kicks on March 20, Kingwood Park (12-7-5) shifted its focus to Area opponent Barbers Hill (14-4-5). The two will play at Crosby High School on March 24.
This year, penalty kicks were a large focus in practice for the team. Last year, the boys lost 4-1 penalty kicks in the regional finals.
“We laid a large focus on that this year coming into the playoffs,” Boehm said. “And I’m just so proud and happy of the boys and they should be really proud of themselves because all that preparation and mental toughness really paid off.”
The girls soccer team also advanced to the Area finals with a 3-0 victory over College Station in the first round of the playoffs on March 20. The girls recorded its 15th shutout of the season with the 3-0 victory at Magnolia.
“I think we were really nervous,” junior Madi Moffitt said. “But I think after (senior Alexis Carbajal) scored a freaking banger, we got a little more confident and a little more riled up. We were like, ‘Hey, they’re going home tonight. Let’s beat them.’”
In the win over College Station, Carbajal scored the first goal of the game early in the second half before the Panthers went on to score two more goals. Late in the game, Moffitt and junior Emilia Johnson both add goals of their own.
The girls now play Angleton (16-2-2) on March 24 at CE King High School. In preparation for the game, the team focused on connecting the front line and defensive line.
“I mean, there’s always things that we can improve on,” girls coach Jess White said. “We’ll look at it, but we’re not going to dwell on it too much because it’s a pretty quick turnaround for probably Tuesday. We want to connect a little bit better, but the wind was definitely a factor.”
Confidence is high for both teams as they look to extend their seasons with second round victories.
“I would say the past three years, I always feel like the first round’s the hardest game,” Laughlin said. “I feel like if we get past the first round, we’re good to make a deep run.”
* Bishop Scott contributed to this story.
