Kankakee Valley High School

The KV varsity boys soccer team took on DAC (Dunleand Athletic Conference) opponent Merrillville on Saturday afternoon from Fred Jones Field. In a tightly contested affair, a lone goal off a corner kick for the visiting Pirates in the first half was the difference in a close 1-0 loss. The Kougars and Pirates began the first half looking to be the first team to strike first on the scoreboard. Unfortunately for the Kougars, Merrillville would capitalize first in the 8th minute. A corner kick sent into the Kougar penalty box found an unmarked Pirate player who was able to one-time hit his shot past the near post to give Merrillville the 1-0 lead. For the remainder of the half, the Kougars would try to create chances in their final third to tie up the game. One of the best opportunities was a Liam Ooms shot from inside the Pirtate penalty box that just sailed wide. The second half started off strong for the Kougars as they had the advantage of the wind at their backs. A few shots wide to begin the half looked to set the tone for KV. Unfortunately a leg injury to senior Landon Palfi caused him to come out of the game in the early moments of the second half. He would not return. With the absence of Palfi, the Kougars still tried to use their depth with mutiple players in the attack. KV had corner kick and free kick opportunities and even some shots saved by the Merrillville goalkeeper or cleared out by the Pirate defense. In the end, it wasn't enough to break through and the Kougars would run out of time at the final whistle. "Sometimes in soccer one mistake can help you win a game or not," said head KV coach Jovan Jeftich. "The goal we gave up is one we work on in practice and one we need to cotinue to improve upon. I thought Merrillville's size bothered us in the game and made it tough to play how we wanted to play. My team still put in a solid effort and battled, but it was just one of those games where one goal is all that was needed. We'll get back to work next week and prepare for our next conference opponent." The Kougars will be back in action on Wednesday when they travel to Lowell for a conference matchup. Game time is set for a 6 p.m. start. Game Statistics Saves Damien Vargas 8 Record 3-5