[wpbvideo id=’318285′]
By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
He was cold, wet, tired and less than 100 percent. It was all worth it.
Maicol Newkirk has scored many goals for Fair Grove but none have been bigger than the one he delivered Thursday night.
Newkirk’s penalty kick goal four minutes into overtime gave Fair Grove its first district soccer championship in program history.
“It was unbelievable at first because I didn’t think we were going to get that call,” said Newkirk, who owns Fair Grove’s career goals record. “It was crazy. I didn’t know what to think, but I had confidence in myself that (the penalty kick) would go in.
“I was just ready and hyped to take it. I want to thank my whole team for getting me there.”
With the 1-0 victory over New Covenant Academy in the Class 1 District 6 finals, Fair Grove now moves on to the eight-team Class 1 state tournament. The Eagles host either top-ranked Laquey (20-4 overall) or Crocker (14-9 overall) on November 3 at Cooper Soccer Complex in Springfield.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
Laquey and Crocker meet in the District 5 finals at 4 p.m. Friday in Laquey.
It’s unprecedented territory for Fair Grove, which began its program in 2011 but didn’t compete at the varsity level until 2012.
The Eagles, who had recently been stuck in the same district as perennial power Springfield Catholic, sensed their playoff window was opening this year with a move from Class 2 to Class 1.
“We didn’t even know (we were Class 1) when we started practicing this season. MSHSAA hadn’t announced it yet. We had been one of the smallest (enrollment) Class 2 teams in the state,” said Eagles coach Joseph Florez. “So when we found out we were Class 1, it kind of changed our goals a little bit.
“We didn’t think it’d be a cakewalk. We knew it’d be super hard with New Covenant and Greenwood in our district.”
Newkirk missed much of the first half when a lingering ankle injury re-emerged. He stayed loose on the sidelines, returned late in the first half and played the remainder of the game on a cold, rainy night.
“In my head, I was like, ‘This could be our last game,’” said Newkirk, who has 39 goals this season. “I didn’t want this to be our last game like this, with me not playing. I wanted to give my teammates the full effort they deserve from me. I went out, toughened up and gave it all I had.”
The victory was especially sweet for Florez, who’s been the only head coach in Fair Grove’s short soccer history.
His grandfather, Jose Florez, started the first high school soccer program in the Ozarks decades ago at Kickapoo.
The most recent Class 1 state poll featured a top three of Laquey, New Covenant and Fair Grove – all teams from the southwest Missouri area.
“It’s crazy, in the entire state, to have this much talent in southwest Missouri,” Florez said. “There was no high school soccer back then. To think how far soccer has come in southwest Missouri from now until then is crazy.”
Scoring opportunities were hard to come by for both sides throughout the game.
New Covenant’s Spencer Chevalir erased a would-be goal in the 46th minute when he cleared a ball in front of the net to deny a scoring chance from Kyle Stacey.
In the 69th minute, New Covenant’s Logan Jackson got behind the defense but collided with the Fair Grove goalkeeper while going for the ball.
In overtime, Newkirk got a defender on his back and was taken to the ground seconds later. The crafty play set up the eventual game-winning penalty kick.
“It just came down to drive, grit, perseverance and having that energy late,” Florez said. “To find that energy late, when the game’s in overtime and it’s cold and raining, to hear our guys getting hyped in the huddle before overtime… that’s what you want.”
New Covenant finishes 16-7 overall. Fair Grove improved to 19-5-1 overall.
