Wichita East boys soccer stuns unbeaten Southeast in OT win for Kansas regional title
For an entire season, Wichita East boys soccer coach Fred Koepp worked with his team on mental performance.
The Blue Aces faced plenty of adversity early in the season when they had a 3-6 record after three weeks. Instead of being discouraged by the slow start, Koepp viewed East’s difficult schedule as an opportunity for the team to grow.
“We preach it all the time,” Koepp said. “It’s not about the situation, it’s about the reaction to the situation.”
Those words rang true on Thursday in a Class 6A regional championship game where East conceded first, then rallied for a 2-1 win in double overtime to hand Southeast, the undefeated City League champions, its first loss of the season.
The Blue Aces (11-7) won their first regional title since 2020 and advanced to Monday’s quarterfinal game against top seed Dodge City (18-0).
.jpg "att.D1Equ-KOMC3XJ1Z4B5_lt6QPuMVGkmaAxPDd6HVxRc8 (1).jpg")
“If you saw after giving up that goal, my guys came together, they talked about it, they figured some things out and they made a decision on what their reaction was going to be,” Koepp said. “I’m so proud of them because they stuck to their plan and they didn’t get flustered. When we do that, I feel like we’re one of the best teams in Kansas.”
That was the kind of effort required to stand up to the challenge of Southeast, a team with a 16-0-1 record in the midst of a breakthrough season on the strength of a large senior class. In fact, Southeast handed East a 3-0 loss back on Sept. 17.
East’s resolve was put to the test when Southeast senior captain Diego Macias buried a 45-yard free kick in the 38th minute just before halftime.
After grouping up to echo Koepp’s words on the importance of the team’s reaction, East found the equalizer less than 90 seconds later. The goal, which came with 23 seconds left before halftime, came on a corner kick with senior captain Carlos Luna-Reyes sprinting up from the back line to find himself alone in the box and heading a ball into the upper-90 of the goal.
“We have been a little inconsistent this year, but I always felt like we were capable of doing some pretty awesome things,” Koepp said.
While the second half went without a goal, each side had its threatening moments before overtime was required to find a winner. Again, both teams looked dangerous in moments in the first overtime. East had strong play from David Savinon and Alejandro Valenzuela to keep the scoreboard level.
Koepp wanted a high press the entire game. The strategy paid off late in the second overtime, when a routine throw-in by Southeast turned into a disaster: East forward Jonathan Flores poked out the ball, evaded another defender and was clipped from behind one step inside the box to earn a penalty kick with 2:45 left.
“We wanted to keep a pretty high press throughout the game because they are a very, very fast team and obviously have had some great results this year,” Koepp said. “For Jonny to be able to get that ball, then take a really good touch around the defender, there was no denying it.”
What was a surprise was who stepped up to take the penalty kick, a decision that Koepp allowed his seniors to decide on the field.
It was Luna-Reyes who stepped up to the spot with the chance to finish off the massive upset and bring East its first trophy in four years. The senior was decisive in his shot, high and hard, maybe a bold choice for a defender, but the right one to send the Blue Aces through to the next round of the playoffs.
“I change the rotation of captains every game and Carlos had the captain armband on that game and that’s just how he is,” Koepp said. “I may have been a little surprised with where he went, but sometimes that’s a good thing. Carlos is a go-getter.”
Kansas high school boys soccer regional scores
Class 6A
Dodge City 2, Wichita North 1
Liberal 2, Wichita Northwest 0
Wichita East 2, Wichita Southeast 1 (2 OT)
Class 5A
Maize South 3, Andover Central 0
Salina South 1, Kapaun Mt. Carmel 0
Valley Center 3, Andover 1
Class 4-1A
Berean Academy 1, Independence 0
Classical 4, Augusta 1
Rose Hill 5, Winfield 0
Trinity Academy 2, McPherson 0
KSHSAA boys soccer quarterfinal schedule
Note: All games are scheduled for Monday at 6:30 p.m.
Class 6A
Wichita East (11-7) at Dodge City (18-0)
Class 5A
Hays (10-8) at Maize South (16-2)
Valley Center (13-3-1) at Salina South (16-2)
Class 4-1A
Classical (10-6-2) at Rose Hill (16-1)
Berean Academy (11-6-1) at Trinity Academy (14-4)
This story was originally published November 1, 2024 at 6:08 AM.
.jpg)