Flawed Grems win

It may not have been the victory the Sacred Heart Gremlins dreamed of Tuesday night in the semifinals of the Class 1, District 7 boys soccer tournament, but they will take it.

The top-seeded Gremlins scored their only goal on a penalty kick from Lakin Kehde as they shut out the Smithton Tigers 1-0 to earn a trip to the district championship match at Clover Dell Park.

The Gremlins will meet St. Paul Lutheran in the title match at 6 p.m. Friday. St. Paul beat Lee’s Summit Christian 1-0 later Tuesday night.

“You know, penalty kicks are always questionable, but I thought it was the right call,” Sacred Heart coach Carlos McField said. “We buried the opportunity. I thought we just played a little rusty overall. We haven’t played for a while and it showed at times.”

With just under 13 minutes left in regulation, Chris Pottorff went to receive a pass and was taken down hard in Smithton’s box. The official immediately made the call, and Kehde placed the penalty kick perfectly in the side netting to give the Gremlins the lead.

Minutes after the Gremlins’ goal, Smithton fired back with its best scoring chance of the night.

Senior forward Adam Wagenknecht broke past the last line of the Gremlins’ defense and only had the Gremlins’ goalkeeper to beat.

Takeshi Ishizawa charged Wagenknecht and made a jumping save to hold Smithton scoreless.

The Tigers took the upper hand early in the match. Smithton sent a handful of shots wide of Sacred Heart’s net.

Ten minutes into the match, Sacred Heart got its first scoring chance. Kehde broke down the sideline and sent a pass into the Tigers’ 6-yard box. The Smithton defense quickly cleared the ball.

Midway through the first half, the momentum shifted in the Gremlins’ favor. Sacred Heart started controlling midfield play but was unsuccessful stringing consistent passes together on the attacking end.

Needing to find a spark, Smithton tried to use its speed to break through the Grems’ flat-back-four defensive arrangement.

Sacred Heart started the second half with a pair of scoring chances. The first came on a cross that landed inside the Tigers’ box. After a couple of miscues, the Gremlins’ shot sailed wide.

Five minutes later, the Gremlins were awarded a free kick from 20 yards out, but Kehde’s shot sailed over the crossbar.