Kankakee Valley High School

The KV boys varsity soccer team picked up its second victory in three days by defeating a very good Boone Grove side 3-2 on Wednesday night. In a back and forth affair that was even at halftime (1-1), the Kougars would pull ahead by two goals and narrowly hang on to a furious comeback by the Wolves to come out on top. In the first half, the Kougars came out the same way they did in their previous game. They had high energy and looked to control possession and win those 50/50 battles against a physical opponent. KV would match the physicality of Boone Grove and was able to create some strong offensive chances early on. The Kougars would be the first ones to break through on the scoreboard when freshman Bryce Moore was fouled in the penalty box. Sophomore Jorge Pena stepped up and placed his penalty kick shot to the right corner to give the Kougars the 1-0 lead. The lead gave the Kougars a lot of momentum and had chances to double their lead. Unfortunately with nine minutes left in the half, a free kick into the Kougar box was headed past the KV netminder Damien Vargas to knot the game at 1-1. The score would remain deadlocked at intermission. In the second half, the visitors seemed to have more of the possession early on. Even so, the Kougar defense continued to be effective and limited any serious scoring threats as the half wore on. The game would change in favor of KV once again when Landon Palfi's shot from 30 yards out found the back of the net with 19 minutes left. His right footed shot hit off the left post and found its way to the back of the net to give the Kougars the two goal lead. The Kougars kept their foot on the gas pedal and would double their lead when freshman Bryce Moore scored his first and game-winning goal off a pass from Landon Palfi inside the Wolves penalty box. His low shot to the left corner beat the Boone Grove keeper to give KV a slight cusion on the scoreboard. Unfortunately with ten minutes left, a Wolves player was fouled in the KV penalty box. Boone Grove would convert their penalty kick opportunity to give the Kougars a slim one goal lead. The final ten minutes was a bit of helter skelter with KV trying to stave off a fierce Boone Grove rally to tie the game late. The biggest moment came with 30 seconds left. KV keeper Damien Vargas had to come off his line and saved a point blank Boone Grove shot from six yards out. As the clock hit zero, all KV players, coaches, and fans were able to celebrate the thrilling win! "I'm incredibly proud of my team tonight," said head KV coach Jovan Jeftich. "Boone Grove has always been a thorn in our side and I'm so glad we were able to find a way to win against a solid opponent. Our players worked extremely hard the entire game and never gave up. It's a testament to the belief they have in each other. It's great to see some of our young players stepping up in big moments, which is not alway an easy thing to do. We'll enjoy this one, get some rest/practice, and get ready for our next challenge on Saturday." KV's victory tonight was the first win against Boone Grove since a 4-1 win during the 2020 season. The victory also moves the Kougar record to 2-0 on the season. They will next travel on the road to take on the Kouts Mustangs on Saturday. Game time is set for a 12:30 p.m. start. Game Statistics Goals Jorge Pena 1 Landon Palfi 1 Bryce Moore 1 Assists Jorge Pena 1 Landon Palfi 1 Saves Damien Vargas 10 Record 2-0