Kankakee Valley High School

The KV varsity boys soccer team lost a hard fought battle with conference foe Munster on a rainy and weather delayed Wednesday night at Fred Jones Field. Munster held a slim one goal lead for most of the match, however the Kougars came up one goal short against a quality Mustang side. For much of the 1st half, the visitors would control more of the possession and offensive chances. Munster was able to threaten the KV goal multiple times early on in the half and kept the Kougar defense busy. Unfortunately for the Kougars, Munster would break through on the scoreboard at the 20 minute mark on a near post shot from close range to give the Mustangs the early 1-0 lead. With ominous skies threatening the area, the officials decided to stop the game at the 13:29 mark due to lightning in close proximity to the field. The game was delayed for roughly 1 hour and 40 minutes before play would resume. Once play resumed (around 8:30 p.m.) both teams would finish out the remaining 13:29 on the clock. Fortunately for the Kougars, they continued to put in a strong defensive effort and kept Munster from getting another goal before halftime. In the second half, the Kougars came out with more fight, grit, and determination than displayed in the first half. They were able to create more offensive opportunities with their speed of play and ball movement. Just as KV had moments to possibly tie the match, the Mustangs would strike again at the 44:29 mark. A long ball from roughly 55 yards out found a Munster player near the Kougar six yard box who put his touch into the KV net to give the Mustangs a 2-0 lead. Down but not out, the Kougars would claw back into the game. With 25 minutes to go, senior Landon Palfi hit a beautiful 30 yard shot over the Munster goalkeeper to get the Kougars within one. With plenty of time left, the Kougars had moments to try and tie the game, but the Mustang defense would thwart away any serious chances for KV to get one more on the scoreboard. The game would end with a Mustang win, but the Kougars did not make it easy for the opponent and worked extremely hard throughout the entire match. The 2-1 loss was the closest the Kougars have been against Munster since an identical 2-1 loss in the 2021 season. "I'm proud of the way my team fought tonight," said head KV coach Jovan Jeftich. "I know our team wanted to beat Munster for the first time and we were close. I am especially pleased with the effort and energy my team showed coming back from the long weather delay and how we played in the second half. My young team continued to show resilience defensively and never gave up. They left it all on the field tonight and we can hold our heads high knowing that even in defeat. We will now regroup and use these recent games as learning moments to hopefully get a positive result in our next contest." The Kougars will be back in action on Saturday when they host the Merrillville Pirates. Game time is set for a 1:30 p.m. start from Fred Jones Field. Game Statistics Goals Landon Palfi 1 Assists Eli Hildebrandt 1 Saves Damien Vargas 8 Record 3-4 (0-2 NCC)