Boys soccer defeats Maize South at regionals

Mia Hennen, Reporter

The Eagles advanced to the state quarterfinals Saturday with a 3-2 overtime victory over Maize South.

The Eagles trailed 1-0 at halftime before scoring two goals about five minutes apart — the first by senior Mikey Velasquez and the second by sophomore Angel DeLeon — in the second half to go up 2-1.

Seconds before end of regulation, South scored and sent the game into overtime.

“When we were tied, I knew we had to step up and take our own role as a team,” senior Tanner Prophet said. “We did that, and that’s the reason I love this team. We stayed positive throughout the whole game, and that’s what we need to do to win games.”

Velasquez scored the winning goal in overtime, his second of the game. It was the second loss of the season for South. The Eagles beat the Mavericks 3-1 in the regular-season finale

“I couldn’t believe I did it against arguably the best team in 5A that I’ve faced in the last three years,” Velasquez said. “It feels like a dream. Maize South deserves a lot of credit, but we worked harder and wanted it more, and it showed.”

The Eagles (15-2-1) will play Great Bend (7-9) on Tuesday at Maize High with a trip to state on the line. The game will start at 6 p.m.

“We are confident about going to state, but we are not overconfident,” junior Andy Nam said. “We trust each other, and we believe in ourselves.”