‘I’m speechless:’ Perfect in PKs, Rochester beats Eastern to advance to sectional final

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Jonas Kiser Drew Lawson Spencer Backus

WABASH — Jonas Kiser volunteered to be one of the members of the Rochester boys soccer team to take penalty kicks against Eastern (Greentown) in their Class 2A, Sectional 22 semifinal Oct. 8.

He justified his self-belief to deliver the game-winning kick as Rochester beat Eastern 1-0 to advance to their first sectional final in nine years.

The game was tied 0-0 after 80 minutes of regulation and two seven-minute overtime periods.

Rochester then outscored Eastern 5-3 in the penalty kicks phase.

Rochester earned the right to play Maconaquah in the sectional final. Maconaquah ousted Northwestern 1-0 in the other semifinal, ending Northwestern’s run of three straight sectional titles.

Rochester held Eastern to three shots on goal and none in the overtime. The Zebras also had a 6-1 edge in corner kicks.

Spencer Backus went left and netted the first penalty kick. Austin Shafer answered for Eastern. Grant Bailey scored with his left foot for Rochester, but Wade Colyer connected for Eastern.

Eastern goalkeeper Lincoln Mentis guessed right on Carlos Plascencia’s kick, but Plascencia went left and scored.

That brought up Eastern junior Josiah Anderson, who sent a kick high over the goal that deflected off the football crossbar.

Drew Lawson’s kick seemed to take an unpredictable hop over Mentis and in the back of the net. Evan Williams answered for the Comets.

That brought up Kiser. Kiser went right, and Mentis dove in that direction, but the kick was too good and went in the side of the net.

That set off a joyous celebration at midfield. Rochester had just made its first sectional final in nine years.

“I’m speechless,” Bailey said. “I’m super proud of all of the guys I’ve had the privilege to play with this year. The underclassmen have been phenomenal with us. A lot of our seniors this year like Jonas and Brady (Gamble) have improved a lot. It’s super cool to see it. I can’t thank the coaches enough for holding out with us throughout the four years. I know we’ve had a ton of rough patches. We haven’t won a sectional game for nine years before this season. For the coaches to really keep their belief in us, it means so much.

“I’m speechless because I really haven’t had a moment this big. It’s the coolest sports moment of my life.”

Rochester coach Eric Backus recalled Lawson’s kick and a bizarre bounce.

“We got a lucky roll with Drew’s,” coach Backus said. “I don’t know what kind of topspin he put on that ball, but it just bounced right over the keeper.”

Coach Backus said he had another player in mind when picking his five penalty kickers, but he said that player “freaked” on him. Then Kiser volunteered.

“That was awesome, really awesome,” coach Backus said. “To see these seniors put that much work in, and we’re playing in a sectional championship. We’ve got nothing to lose come Saturday, and they’ve got everything to lose.”

Eastern had scored 38 goals in 13 games prior to the sectional. Shafer had scored 16 of them, but he was held to one shot, which Rochester goalkeeper Elliot Miller snared with 27:20 left in regulation.

Bailey was the primary defender marking him.

“I thought we were able to hold our own a little bit,” Bailey said. “I didn’t really do any man-marking. I think Josh (DeSonia) and Camdyn (Furnivall) really helped me super well against him. So I thought we did pretty well. I’m proud of how we played.”

Eastern is the only team in the sectional that Rochester does not play during the regular season. As a result, it took some time for coach Backus to get a feel for Eastern. He was more concerned about his own team after a draining 3-1 win over Tippecanoe Valley two days earlier.

“We weren’t 100 percent sure,” coach Backus said. “We didn’t really get a chance to watch any film on them, but after about 10, 15 minutes, I felt confident that both Jo (Kiser) and Grant had enough speed to keep him under control. So we told Grant multiple times, if he found a run, take it and go attack. He did a couple times and laid it off, and we got a shot on goal a couple times. You could tell we were playing a little bit slow. I think we’re still hurting from Monday night.”

Bailey spoke of the bond he has with his teammates. One of six seniors on the team, Bailey has been a lineup mainstay for four years.

“It’s incredible,” Bailey said. “We’ve been playing together since fifth grade, sixth grade. So to be able to grow up with guys like that, it’s been an incredible privilege. Jonas and Brady, they just came in. … Jonas came in last year. He’s been a really great glue guy for us, the clown of the team but in the best sense possible.”

Rochester had a chance with 38:47 left in regulation, but Eastern goalkeeper Lincoln Mentis stopped Backus’ penalty kick try. Backus had appeared to score a goal with a left-footed finish to Mentis’ right, but the center referee said that Backus had been fouled in the box before his shot.

“I didn’t want it to go to PKs,” coach Backus said. “I really was hoping Spencer could have knocked that PK in in the second half and just been done with it. But the kids stepped up.”