Doubted, tested and proven, Carroll soccer ready for state run

At a breaking point in the biggest game of the season, Carson Lee proved Carroll isn’t a regular No. 5 seed.

He weaved through the Andover defense and fired a left-footed seed toward the top right corner. It pinged off the crossbar, dropped down and crossed the line. It was the point of no return for the Trojans in Carroll’s 3-0 win Monday night in its Class 5A regional tournament opener.

The Golden Eagles entered the postseason with four losses — all to teams figured to make a push toward the final four in their respective classifications. They lost to Dodge City in the Titan Classic final. They dropped to St. James Academy, Kapaun and Washburn Rural.

Few teams have played a more relentless schedule, and that was by design.

“I’ve seen St. Thomas Aquinas do this for the last 20 years,” coach Mike Skaggs said. “They play a very tough schedule. They go into the postseason at 10-6. No one really looks at them, and then they go off winning another state title.”

Carroll has been pushed out of its element several times this season, including Monday. Many of the teams the Eagles have lost to threw players forward and controlled possession with high defensive pressure.

Skaggs called the Washburn Rural loss a “good loss.” The No. 1 team in Class 6A dictated tempo and offered a style that no Wichita team replicates.

Because the Eagles went through it, senior Aaron Valenciana said they won’t be fazed if they are forced to travel to No. 4 McPherson for a regional final Thursday.

“It just shows we can play anyone in the state,” Valenciana said. “We’re up for the challenge, and we’re hoping to make it back.”

But given the schedule, Carroll wasn’t expected to come into the 5A bracket as the No. 5 seed.

The Eagles lost one of the most accomplished senior classes in Bishop Carroll history. They lost two All-Metro selections and the winningest graduating class in the program’s history. Carroll made it to the 5A final last year.

With Monday’s win, senior goalkeeper Braeden Huslig — who made the varsity roster as a freshman — evened last year’s mark. With a win at McPherson, Huslig will have the most wins, 60, of any Carroll boys soccer player.

Lee, Carroll’s senior striker, said having those detractors to what they could accomplish helped motivate them.

“We built a legacy with those seniors last year,” he said. “And no one wants to be the class that drops off, so we just wanted to keep it going. No one wants their senior year to have a below .500 record. Every win has been big and just pushed us even harder.”

Monday showed a glimpse of how it has come together for Carroll since losing 3-1 to Kapaun earlier this season.

With 30 seconds left in the game, already up two, a couple of role player stepped up to finish it right as senior Cole Kingsly sent a low cross in front of goal to fellow senior Ethan Khoury, who tucked the ball away with a tap-in.

Carroll has had its secondary players step up to complement the standouts. That’s why the Eagles are “very dangerous” heading into Thursday and potentially beyond.

“We’re trying to make a lot of upsets,” Lee said. “I don’t know if you’d call them upsets, but on paper it looks like it.”