This is one that Emporia High desperately wants back.
A perfect shot by Shawnee Heights’ Joey Carson from about 26 feet out whistled past freshman goalie Elvis Delacruz late in overtime, giving the T-Birds a dramatic 3-2 victory on Thursday at TRYSA and leaving EHS coach Angel Cornejo immediately hoping for a Regional rematch down the road.
“Not just me — everyone on the team hopes to see them in the playoffs,” Cornejo said. “And I think it’ll be a different score.”
The Spartans (7-5-1) felt as if they should have won the game, and they had their chances. They took a 2-1 lead two minutes into the second half when Luis Guzman lofted a pass over a group of Heights defenders from 25 feet out to Jesus Saldana, who knocked home the shot. Heights answered later with a Johnny Acker goal, but in the final minutes of regulation, EHS had opportunities galore.
Cory Obermeyer — the standout Spartan goalkeeper who shifted to forward for the second half — thought he was pushed from behind on a breakaway in the box with just a few minutes left, but the Spartans weren’t awarded what would have been a crucial penalty-kick opportunity.
“There was a push, clearly,” Cornejo said. “Everyone saw it, and well, I can’t tell the refs what to call or what not to call.”
With less than 90 seconds left in the second half, Guzman had two good looks at a game-winning shot. The first, a clear look from the far side of the top circle, was thwarted by a diving two-handed save by Heights goalkeeper Cole Rickabaugh. The second came after Heights cleared a corner kick; Guzman wound up for another deep shot with more traffic in front of him, and it sailed wide right.
Guzman had gotten Emporia on the board in the first half, answering a goal by Heights’ Tyler Jordan with a boot from about 30 feet out in the game’s 31st minute.
Putting Obermeyer at forward, a move first made in the second half of the Spartans’ last game against Bishop Carroll, is a new wrinkle that looks as if it’s here to stay, and the aggressiveness Cornejo likes out of Obermeyer was in evidence.
“Before I played goalie, I played forward, so I’m pretty comfortable with that position,” Obermeyer said. “I’ve been (playing forward at practice), and Cornejo likes what he sees, so he puts me up there, and I enjoy it.”
The downside, of course, is less experience in front of the net. But on Carson’s well-placed game-winner, Cornejo believed it wouldn’t have mattered whether his goalie was the senior Obermeyer or the freshman Delacruz.
“I don’t think even Cory could have stopped that goal,” Cornejo said. “... It was right in the corner, and well, there’s nothing we can do there, Elvis could do there.”
Heights improved to 5-8 with the win.
Emporia will be back at TRYSA on Tuesday, when it hosts Wichita Heights at 6:15 p.m.