Need a game saved? Will vanHoornbeek’s got you covered.
Need a game won? He can do that, too.
Bolivar’s junior goalkeeper stopped Marshfield’s final penalty kick attempt and then nailed the game-winner as the Liberators came away with a 1-0 (4-3 PK shootout) victory over Marshfield in a Central Ozark Conference-Small Division matchup Tuesday night.
It’s not the first time vanHoornbeek’s been in that position; and it’s never easy.
“I always get nervous, anxious for PK’s, but for the most part we’ve been pretty confident with our PK’s – our shooters,” vanHoornbeek said. “We’ve won all of our PK’s that we’ve gone (this season).
“There’s pressure; there’s always pressure for PK’s, but we got it done. I’m just happy for that.”
Marshfield was on the attack early in the game, putting nine shots on goal in the first half.
“At halftime, I told the defense to make sure and get the backside, stay goal-side,” vanHoornbeek said. “If they’re (offense) coming, just step up as soon as they get to the ball.
“I feel as team, as a defense, we did a lot better than the last time we played them,” vanHoornbeek said.
The last meeting was a 1-0 loss on Sept. 6 to the Blue Jays, who also scored a 1-0 victory in last year’s Class 3 District 10 title game.
“I felt like our guys played more as a team tonight than they have in a while,” Bolivar coach Steve Fast said. “The build-up was good, the combination play was good. They just played hard and they played together. We haven’t done that very well all season, but they brought it tonight.”
Jarrett Meyer and Drew Barb put the pressure on Bolivar most of the game with nine shots on goal between them for Marshfield, but the Liberator defense denied the Blue Jays.
And the Blue Jays returned the favor, keeping the Liberators out of the scoring column, causing Fast to switch things up a bit.
Late in the first half, Fast moved his back line up toward midfield to try and force the issue and create more offense.
“We’ve had trouble scoring all year, so we were trying to push them up,” Fast said. “It was 0-0 and I told them, at some point, you’ve got to take chances. We tried to keep them pushed up and tried to keep the ball offensively.”
But neither team could find the back of the net through two 40-minute halves and two 10-minute overtimes – at least until the PK shootout.
Both teams made their first two penalty kicks, before Marshfield missed its third attempt off the left post. Britt Tucker put his shot in the right corner to give Bolivar a 3-2 edge, and Marshfield answered with a Nate Hartman shot to the lower left corner, knotting it at 3.
Bolivar’s fourth shot sailed wide right, leaving the shootout tied at 3.
That’s when vanHoornbeek took over.
He stopped Marshfield’s final attempt, then put the game-winner in the lower left corner.
“He’s amazing,” Fast said of vanHoornbeek. “He comes out every day and works hard in practice and every game. He’s kept us in some games this year and he’s made some big saves. I was very excited to see him get that save and then the game-winning goal.
“It was a solid performance from top to bottom for us. I thought Marshfield played really hard and it was just a good, classic battle between the two teams.”
BOLIVAR 0, MARSHFIELD 0
(Bolivar wins 4-3 in PK shootout)
Marshfield – 0-0-0-0—0
Bolivar – 0-0-0-0—0
(Bolivar wins penalty kick shootout, 4-3)
First half – None
Second half – None
First overtime – None
Second overtime – None
Penalty kicks – Bolivar 4 (Evan Haney, Michael McNeal, Britt Tucker and Will vanHoornbeek); Marshfield 3 (Drew Barb, Jarrett Meyer and Nate Hartman)
