Kempf’s long-range goal upsets Bishop LeBlond

By Jon Dykstra | September 21, 2017 |

JON DYKSTRA/DAILY FORUM
Maryville junior Thomas DiStefano (10) leaps onto the dog pile forming on top of senior Peter Kempf while Bishop LeBlond senior Will Dryburgh walks away stunned. Kempf’s goal gave Maryville a 3-2 lead in Thursday’s second half and proved to be the winner at Maryville Middle School.

MARYVILLE, Mo. — All year, it has appeared that there are three dominant teams in the Midland Empire Conference with Smithville, Bishop LeBlond and Maryville.

People also thought that the order of those teams was fairly defined with Smithville likely to be the league champions and LeBlond having knocked off Maryville earlier this year 4-0 in the jamboree and 2-0 in non-conference play.

“This was basically for second place in conference,” Hound coach Dale Reuter said.

On a windy Thursday afternoon, the Spoofhounds set out to erase that narrative and with the help of couple brilliant pieces of goal-scoring and with senior Lucas Jasinski serving as a brick wall in goal, Maryville accomplished that with a 3-2 victory.

“As they come, I’m not going to say that is the biggest game we are ever going to play, but it is huge for us,” Reuter said. “It shows a big step that we have taken as a team in our ability to play this game called soccer.”

The game began before the clock even began to roll, Reuter elected to go against a strong wind in the first half and risk the possibility of a strong LeBlond start that the Hounds wouldn’t be able to recover from.

Jasinski wouldn’t let that happen though. With the ball almost exclusively on his side of the field the entire first half, Jasinski made several key saves early and kept the game scoreless.

“He was huge,” Reuter said of Jasinski. “The defensive line did a great job.”

Maryville junior Thomas DiStefano then got into things. At the 18 minute mark, DiStefano took the ball from LeBlond senior keeper Joel Fuson’s right side and cut to the middle of the field and fired one over Fuson’s head, off the crossbar and in.

“I got ahead of the defense and just ripped it,” DiStefano said. “I thought it went over the crossbar, but it hit it and went in. I’ve never hit a better goal in my life so I was just stunned.”

The play surprised Fuson, who admitted he was off his line, but that “as good as Thomas is, I should have realized.”

“Our coach told us all week that if we score early, we are going to be able to win the game,” DiStefano said. “Once we got that early goal, we knew it was possible and that we can definitely beat these guys.”

The Eagles struck back and answered with a quick goal off of a Maryville mistake to knot the score at 1-1.

At the 37 minute mark, DiStefano had one more big play left in him before the end of the half.

The junior drove down Fuson’s right side again and looked like he may be able to get another shot off. This drew Fuson out to challenge DiStefano and junior Brenden Ware took advantage.

Ware slipped to the open space in front of the goal and waited for DiStefano to find him.

“I was going to look to shoot, just because that is what is in my head as a forward: just go for the goal,” DiStefano said. “Then I just saw Brenden just standing there wide open and I trust my teammates to pit it away for me.”

Ware put it home and gave the Spoofhounds a 2-1 lead going into half.

Reuter’s gamble with the wind had paid off and now the Hounds could play their style in the second half and force LeBlond to try and create offense against the wind.

The Eagles struggled to find much of anything against Jasinski, who seemed determined to win the game on his own in the net.

That is until a Spoofhound foul resulted in a penalty kick for the Eagles.

Jasinski was up to the challenge and dove to his left to swap away the attempt and the Maryville crowd exploded in jubilation.

That celebration was quickly cut short when the official signaled for the attempt to be tried again.

“Supposedly we came across the line,” Reuter said. “What I saw is our player get pushed by another player. … We came back and showed what this team is made of.”

This time Jasinski guessed right, but again the ball went left for a goal.

“A lot of PK takers usually stay the same side, but after that first one, I thought he’d be a little too psyched out to go the same way,” Jasinski said.

The game was once again knotted, this time at 2-2.

The game remained there until Maryville senior Peter Kempf received the ball at mid-field and saw an opening in the 66th minute of play.

“After I gave up the PK with a hand-ball, I was like, I really need to make up for that somehow,” Kempf said.

LeBlond had replaced their senior Fuson with a freshman Thad Chapman in goal to get Fuson into the field.

The young keeper cheated up as the ball was being exchanged at mid-field and Kempf put a ball high in the air towards goal. The ball twisted through the breeze and Chapman couldn’t recover in time as the ball bounced behind him and into the goal.

“The goalie looked pretty far out so I just took it,” Kempf said. “I didn’t even see it go in before everybody was on top of me.”

One of those on top of him was Jasinski, who tried to sum up the goal afterwards.

“Peter hit a banger,” Jasinski said.

LeBlond’s frustration then began to boil over and they had several hard fouls on DiStefano, who played it safe and avoided any costly mistakes.

“I think they got a little bit frustrated because the game wasn’t going the way they wanted,” DiStefano said. “I was getting through them a little easier than the first two games.”

At one point late in the game, DiStefano ran from end-line to end-line to control the ball at one end and then play defense on the other.

“I was empty,” DiStefano said. “I knew it was going to take all I had to win this game and by the end of it, I couldn’t do another five minutes.”

The Spoofhounds were able to hang on for the win and earn some bragging rights over their spring teammates.

In the spring, LeBlond runs a club team that Jasinski, DiStefano, Jaden Hayes and Patrick Baker play on.

“It is for sure bragging rights,” DiStefano said. “It is a nice friendly rivalry so it will be fun to play with them in the offseason and remind them every once in a while.”

CHEMISTRY

Early in the season, Hayes played more on the wing for the Hounds, but he has shifted to the middle of the field and that gives the Spoofhounds and dynamic 1-2 punch for opponents to contain.

“Jaden has the best vision on the team by far,” DiStefano said. “We can link up really well so when I have my center attacking midfielder playing me the ball where I like it, it’s nice.”

UP NEXT

The Spoofhounds will be back in action at home on at 4 p.m. on Monday, against Cameron in Donaldson Westside Park.

“We finally put it all together tonight and we are really peaking at the right time in the season,” Jasinski said

JON DYKSTRA/DAILY FORUM
Maryville junior Brenden Ware controls the ball in the first half against Bishop LeBlond on Thursday at Maryville Middle School.