By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights boys soccer coach Nic Simons felt like his team was knocking at the door for most of Thursday's United Kansas Conference match at Seaman.
Shawnee Heights junior Owen Phillips (middle) is mobbed by his teammates after scoring the T-Birds' first goal in a 3-0 United Kansas Conference soccer win at Seaman. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
And although it took longer than Simons would have preferred, the T-Birds finally knocked the door down, scoring all three of their goals over the final 16:43 to take a 3-0 shutout win over the host Vikings.
"The whole game we thought we were kind of just knocking on the door,'' Simons said. "We had a couple of goals called out of the net that were offside and at halftime we told the boys, 'Keep battling, keep battling.' We've been injured for the first part of the season and I think the boys just kind of came out ready to work and I really felt like tonight, especially in the second half, we just out-worked them.''
Shawnee Heights sophomore Juan Garcia is congratulated by his teammates after giving the T-Birds a 2-0 lead in Thursday's 3-0 soccer win at Seaman. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Shawnee Heights, which improved to 2-4-0, got the only goal it would need with just under 17 minutes remaining on a shot from junior Owen Phillips and added insurance goals from sophomore Juan Garcia and junior Jackson Freeman over fhe final four and a half minutes.
Senior Roscoe Poyner and J. Freeman were credited with assists for the T-Birds while junior Carter Freeman picked up the shutout in goal for the T-Birds.
"I told them yesterday at practice, 'We've got to find our identity,' '' Simons said. "I think in the first five games of this season we have struggled finding that identity and I think tonight a lot of these kids came into their own a little bit of they're just going to be workhorses and they're going to try to out-work people.''
Seaman, which was coming off a 6-0 UKC road win over Topeka West Wednesday night, fell to 2-4-0 on the season.
"Give Seaman credit,'' Simons said. "They really frustrated us a lot the majority of this game and they're a well-coached team.''
Shawnee Heights will return to action next Tuesday at home against Leavenworth at the Bettis Family Sports Complex while Seaman will host Piper next Tuesday.
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 3, SEAMAN 0
Seaman (2-4-0) 0 0 -- 0
Shawnee Heights (2-4-0) 0 3 -- 3
Shawnee Heights -- Goals: Owen Phillips, Juan Garcia, Jackson Freeman. Assists: Roscoe Poyner, Jackson Freeman. Shutout: Carter Freeman.
