When the Emporia High boys soccer team got a penalty kick late in Tuesday’s game against Newton, the Spartans went to their designated penalty-kick taker. He didn’t disappoint.
An Oscar Lemus goal broke a tie in what turned into a 3-1 win for EHS (10-6-1) over Newton at Emporia High. Gustavo Lopez later scored his second goal of the night to give his team a two-goal lead and seal the win.
Lemus got his penalty opportunity with 18:44 to go in the game and went to his left, placing the ball in the net out of reach of the Newton goalkeeper. The goal put the Spartans ahead 2-1, and was followed by a fierce charge from Newton. A Railer shot went wide a little more than two minutes later. Lemus cleared another Newton attempt with 13:57 to go in the game.
Lopez scored the Spartans’ third goal with 4:20 to go in the game to seal the win. His shot managed to just sneak under the arms of the Newton goalkeeper before going into the net.
“I have no idea what happened there, I thought it wasn’t even a goal,” EHS coach Angel Cornejo said. “But from here (the sideline) it looked like the goalie had a great save. Everyone was celebrating over there.”
Lopez had also scored earlier in the game, with 20:04 in the first half, off a pass from Ramon Rivera. He and the rest of the Spartans had been controlling possession for much of the first 20 minutes, with several near-misses. Lopez had a header go just above the net at 38:29, among other chances.
“He sticks with it,” Lemus said. “No matter what, he’s always there. He never quits on it.”
The Spartans’ attempts to score another goal were not immediately successful. Despite several additional opportunities, EHS did not score again in the first half, taking a 1-0 lead into halftime.
“A 1-0 game is just very scary,” Lemus said. “I’m scared every time there’s a 1-0 game, because one goal, and then they’re right back in it. And they got the momentum. So a 2-0 lead at the half is always the best.”
Lemus’ fears came to fruition when Franklin Vazquez Flores worked the ball past EHS goalkeeper Josh Brown with 32:13 remaining in the game to tie the score at 1-1, before EHS later retook the lead and the win.
The victory moves EHS through the first round of regionals. Salina Central beat Highland Park 9-0 on Tuesday, and the Spartans and Mustangs will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday in Salina.