Muddy, cold, exhausted, and exuberant, that was the Washington Demon boys soccer team Tuesday night after an upset of the No. 3 ranked Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union Wildcats in Washington. The Demons took the contest by a 2-1 score in penalty kicks.
After a tough setback Monday night in a home shut out loss to the Keokuk Chiefs, the Demons bounced back to beat the Wildcats who qualified for the state tournament a season ago, and return many key pieces from their impressive run.
The Demons grabbed the lead late in the first half. John Dillon executed a throw-in to the 18 and Matteo Hernandez delivered a header to the back of the net to put Washington up 1-0. The Demons carried that lead into the half. In the second half Columbus found the equalizer when All-Stater Eric Cantarero beat the Demon defense to tie the game at one in the 41st minute. The rest of regulation featured a handful of scoring chances for each side but the two defenses rose to the occasion and closed the door, leaving the game tied going to extra time.
Two extra ten minute periods also could not determine a winner as neither team’s offense was able to break through, leaving the game to be decided in penalty kicks. The Washington side connected on all four of their tries with Caleb Suchan, Matteo Hernandez, Kyle Anderson, and Julio Hernandez all coming through with clutch kicks for the victory. Washington goalkeeper Thomas Zimmer, who had played a sparkling game to that point, rose up once more in penalty kicks, stopping the first two Columbus efforts to seal the win.
Zimmer shined in the spotlight, making a total of 16 saves in the win. Washington finished the contest with 12 shots on goal.
With the win Washington is now 2-1 on the season. Their next action is scheduled for April 13th at Fairfield. Columbus is now 0-1 on the year and will next be in action Monday when they travel to Burlington, Notre Dame.