Season on the brink, Platte County overcomes late 2-goal deficit to stun Pembroke Hill

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Just when the season appeared set for a frustratingly familiar end, Platte County received a seemingly unnecessary opportunity at revival. The Pirates didn’t waste the chance.

Platte County went from a two-goal deficit to a dramatic 3-2 victory at Pembroek Hill School in a matter of just 16 minutes of game time on a frigid Monday night. Pembroke Hill went into the closing portion of the Class 3 District 8 semifinal in firm control only to commit a foul leading to a penalty kick, allow a goal to the Pirates’ Danish import on defense off of a corner kick and give up the winner just 5 minutes into the first half of sudden-death overtime.

The three Platte County goals came in the 74th, 75th and 85th minute with senior defender Fabian Risager heading home the equalizer sandwiched between senior forward Gavin Nichols’ goal from the spot and his clever outside-of-the-right-foot flick that reversed the result of last year’s meeting between the two teams in the same round.

“It felt really good,” Platte County senior defender Daniel Bunge said. “Obviously, we went down, but we knew we were the better team. We felt good to beat them. We get another game; we get to show who we are, win some more games I hope.”

A year earlier, Platte County took an early 1-0 lead and lost 2-1 when Pembroke Hill converted a controversial penalty kick awarded in the early part of sudden-death overtime. Just like last fall, the Pirates entered as the No. 2 seed against the upset-minded hosts with the six seed.

This also marked the second meeting between the two teams this season with Platte County winning both by a 3-2 score but almost in diametrically opposite manner.

Pembroke Hill converted a costly turnover into a goal just after halftime Monday night to take a 1-0 lead and then doubled the advantage on a breakaway in the 57th minute. In the loss at Platte County’s Pirate Stadium in late September, the Raiders went behind by three goals, scored twice late and nearly equalized to force overtime in a 3-2 loss.

“Obviously, that’s not what we wanted,” Bunge said of going behind 2-0. “We wanted to be ahead. That was frustrating. We just kept our heads on, played our game the way we play.”

Down 2-0, Platte County produced very little in the way of offense until the 75th minute when senior forward Josh Nelson forayed into the 18-yard box and ended up blatantly shoved to the turf before being able to take a shot or attempt to find a teammate. Nichols calmly stepped over the ball for the penalty kick with his breath fogging the error while he waited to pick out a spot to the left of Pembroke Hill senior goalkeeper Terry O’Neill.

Platte County found just a glimmer of life with Nichols, a four-year starter, scoring one of the biggest goals of his career.

“We had been giving them a lot, and then we kind of got that. They gave that to us,” Bunge said. “And then after that, we had all the momentum and kind of took that from them and won the game.”

Yet, Platte County still trailed 2-1 with just over 6 minutes left on the clock. The Pirates needed just a matter of seconds to equalize.

Pembroke Hill conceded a corner kick moments later, and Platte County senior midfielder AJ Schrick lined up the opportunity from the left side. He sent in a curling ball, and Risager, a foreign exchange student from Denmark anchoring the Pirates’ defensive back line, rose up between defenders and firmly struck a headed shot into the top left corner, leaving O’Neill little chance to make a save.

Teammates mobbed Risager in excitement with Platte County (15-4) going from on the brink to level at 2-2 with all the momentum.

“I know who Fabian is. That’s just kind of what he does,” Bunge said.

Platte County actually almost scored the winner in regulation. In the 78th minute, Schrick created a scramble in the box with Nichols ruled to have obstructed the goalkeeper while clambering the ball into the next.

In the final minute of regulation, Schrick went on a long solo run through the middle and ended up with an inviting left-footed shot from near the top of the box that curled just high and wide.

Pembroke Hill survived to end up in overtime but only lasted 5 more minutes.

Schrick recorded his second assist after another dangerous move into the center of the field before laying off for Nichols, who creatively struck the shot to the left of O’Neill and immediately ran to the corner to celebrate Platte County’s golden goal. Schrick went face down on the turf, and the Pirates on the field and coming off the bench divided themselves in a spontaneous and gleeful celebration.

“We just kept playing our game,” Bunge said. “The goals are going to come eventually. They didn’t come in the first half. We got them at the end.”

Platte County advances to the Class 3 District 8 title game at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday against Kansas City East (15-2), the top seed and a 3-0 winner over Smithville in Monday’s other semifinal. The Bears enter as the defending champion after finishing as state runnerup in 2022.

Platte County seeks the first playoff berth for the program since reaching the Class 3 state title game and placing second in 2019, which ended up the best season in program history. The Pirates lost to Smithville (2020) and Guadalupe Centers (2021) in district championship games in each of the next two seasons before Pembroke Hill upended them in last year’s semifinal ahead of a blowout loss to East in the final.

To advance back to District 8 title game, Platte County expected a staunch challenge.

Pembroke Hill (5-16-1) topped third-seeded Lincoln Prep in the opening round and entered with a deceiving record due to a strong schedule. Plus, the Raiders had built confidence in the near-comeback vs. the Pirates earlier this season.

In fact, Pembroke Hill dominated possession in the early part of the first half only to then allow the first good chance of the game.

In the 11th minute, Nichols broke down the left side and laid off a pass to a wide-open Nelson only for a Pembroke Hill defender to clear his shot off the line. A nearly identical attacking scenario for Platte County moments later led to a free kick for Schrick in a dangerous spot that he hit straight at O’Neill for one of his six saves.

Nichols took a free kick from a similar spot and skied his attempt in what became a scoreless first half.

Pembroke Hill’s best chances came in the latter part of the first half. In the 21st minute, Platte County junior goalkeeper Paul Havemeier dove well to his left to paw away a free kick from 30 yards out that might have traveled wide even without his intervention. Pembroke Hill rattled his bar with a header off of a corner in the 31st minute, and in the 37th minute, an awkward foray into the box ended with a shot scuffed just wide without much power or accuracy.

Havemeier finished with three saves with Platte County’s defensive combination of Risager, Bunge, sophomore right back Jackson Goodale and senior defensive midfielder Connor Currence ultimately limiting the true offensive chances. Yet, the Pirates went behind in the 44th minute when a turnover led to a well-placed curling right-footed shot from Pembroke Hill junior Beau Harbor. The second goal for the Raiders came with senior forward Morris McLiney breaking down the right side and finishing into an open net with Havemeier rushing out and off his line.

In between, Platte County nearly equalized in the 47th minute when junior midfielder Julian Nemeth took a low right-footed shot at the near post that O’Neill did well to smother and snuff out in what had looked like a promising opportunity. Currence fired high from 16 yards out in front of goal when the ball fell to him in an opportunistic manner. The Pirates continued to probe but appeared on the verge of being shut out for just the third time this season until Nelson earned the penalty kick opportunity.

Platte County 8, Guadalupe Centers 1

Seven players scored goals in a diverse offensive showing in Saturday’s first-round matchup in rainy conditions at Pembroke High School.

Nelson scored the first two goals, while Nichols’ unassisted marker in the 14th minute put Platte County up 3-0. Guadalupe Centers pulled one back in the 25th minute but went into halftime down 5-0. Risager finished a Schrick free kick in the 32nd minute and then added his goal on an assist from junior reserve Tug Thornton with less than 3 minutes left in the first half.

Goodale and Schrick notched two assists apiece.

In the seocnd half, Currence put a header into the top corner of the goal off of a cross from Schrick, and Goodale set up a tap-in for Platte County senior reserve Calvin Thrasher in the 62nd minute. Goodale also assisted on the first of Nelson’s two goals, while Nichols set up his second. Thornton scored his second career goal and made it two straight games with a goal after Thrasher put him on on goal with a through ball.

Guadalupe Centers avoided the eight-goal mercy rule, but Platte County ultimately advanced after the two teams met in the first round of districts for a second straight year.