Derby soccer upsets the No. 2 team in Kansas to reach the state semifinals

There is only one person in the Derby soccer program who knows this feeling.

Derby qualified for the Class 6A semifinals Tuesday night with a 1-0 road win over Washburn Rural. The last time the Panthers reached the final four, in 2013, coach Paul Burke was the only one still around.

“I’m just so proud of the execution of the game plan and the boys coming out and doing every single thing we talked about, trusting that whatever we put in place was going to work or we were going to at least give it our best shot,” he said.

Washburn Rural entered Tuesday’s sub-state matchup at 16-1-1. The Blues were the No. 1 seed in 6A and had the second best record in Kansas behind only KC-Washington at 16-1.

Burke said he got some help from back home on how to get past the giants.

“We got a hold of the game film between Bishop Carroll and Washburn,” he said. “And Carroll finally showed us some stuff in the second half that we knew if Bishop Carroll could do it, we could do it even better.”

The Panthers’ goal came with 2:12 to go in the first half. After a brilliantly headed pass came out to Ethan Hill at the top of the 18-yard box, he smashed it to the top left corner.

It went bar-down and in, and that’s all Derby needed.

The Panthers fended off the strong aerial attack for the second half and possessed when they could. Burke said he knew he couldn’t beat the Blues in the air. It had come from confident passing and possession.

Burke said it was about as choreographed as high school soccer can get.

“We had to pass it five times for every time they passed it once,” he said. “We had to keep the ball and make them chase us, make them expend a lot of energy on defense instead of all of their set pieces.”

With the win, Derby has won three straight after losing back-to-back games to finish the regular season.

Many wrote the Panthers off after limping into the postseason, but Burke said a trip to No. 4 Liberal for the regional championship helped reinforce the belief again.

Now Derby will go into its first 6A semifinal in five seasons against Olathe East, who will play a virtual home game at Olathe’s College Center at 7 p.m. Friday.

Burke said now it’s real.

“Some of it is brand new to everybody, and they’re going to be excited, obviously live up the experience because not everybody gets to do it,” he said. “But at the same time, understand that, ‘Hey, we’re kind of on a mission now. It’s not a fluke. No one can take it away from you now.’ “