Kankakee Valley High School

The KV varsity boys soccer team took on conference foe Hobart High School on Tuesday afternoon in the opening round of the sectional state tournament. This week, KV is the host site of Sectional 2 in Class 3A which includes KV and the following schools: Crown Point, Lowell, Chesterton, Valparaiso, Portage, and Hobart. After a tight first half that saw the game even at 1-1, the visiting Brickies scored three unanswered goals in the second half to come away with a 4-1 win and capping an end to the Kougar soccer season. In the first half, the Kougars continued their style of play which gave them a lot of success in recent games. They possessed the ball well in the midfield which helped create opportunities in the Brickie defensive third of the field. Early on in the half, KV had some shots from distance on the Brickie net, but were saved by the Hobart goalkeeper. Hobart's potent attack with senior Gabe Rodriguez and junior Cameron Guess created some havoc on the Kougar defense at moments within the first fifteen minutes. At the 17:44 mark of the half, Hobart would get on the board when a defensive miscue found Hobart's Cameron Guess who hit a bending shot from 18 yards out to give the Brickies the early 1-0 lead. Fortunately for KV, they would respond. At the 24:10 mark of the half, senior Landon Palfi would level the score at 1-1 when he buried a low right footed shot to the lower left corner after a misplayed ball by a Brickie defender. Palfi's goal was his team-leading 14th of the season. Palfi would have one more very good look with just under two minutes left when the Brickie goalkeeper misplayed a ball outside his 18-yard box. Palfi's one-timed shot bounced off the far left post to keep the score level as the game went into halftime. In the second half, the score would remain deadlocked at 1-1 until just under 20 minutes left when Hobart's Gabe Rodriguez scored his second goal of the game with a shot from 12 yards out to give Hobart a 2-1 lead. Eight minutes later Hobart's Rodriguez would earn his third goal of the night after a turnaround shot from 18 yards out found the back of the net. The Brickies final tally came one minute later when Hobart's Cooper Evans found the back of the net on a shot from 30 yards out. KV had some free kick and counter attack opportunities in the half, but unfortunately could not respond before the time expired. KV goalkeeper Damien Vargas finished with nine saves in the match. With the loss, KV finishes the 2025 season with a 6-11 record. It also marks the end of a great four years for seniors Landon Palfi, Liam Ooms, Trevor Poplawski, and Jake Hamstra. "I'm proud of my team and the way we carried ourselves in tonight's game," said head KV coach Jovan Jeftich. "I know the team badly wanted to win our first sectional game in a long time but it wasn't meant to be. It will eventually happen for us but unfortunately we will have to wait another year for our next chance. I thank my team for all their hard work and effort put forth this season. For being such a young team, this season was a big learning experience for many of our players. It will benefit us in future seasons. I also want to thank each of my four seniors for a great four year career wearing the Kougar red and white. They will always be a part of the KV soccer family." Game Statistics Goals Landon Palfi 1 Saves Damien Vargas 9 Final Record 6-11