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Junction City ends Phoenix's run Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Phoenix's David Peterson (13) slides in front of Junction City goalkeeper Kyle Adams in Saturday's playoff game. By TIM PYLE Dreams die hard. Especially those based in reality. Saturday afternoon at Hagler-James Park, Junction City played the role of Grim Reaper to the Phoenix boys soccer team's hopes for a first-ever state title, earning a 2-1 victory in the Class 3A/2A/1A state quarterfinals. The Pirates, No. 1 ranked and winners of 15 straight since opening the season with a defeat, were outplayed much of the way on their home pitch, where they hadn't lost an match since 1998. Phoenix finishes 15-2 overall in the final go-round for nine seniors, including all-state candidates John Hendricks and Al Albright. Indeed, the No. 4 Tigers (14-1-1) forced a bitter pill down the Pirates' throats. "I have to hand it to the Tigers," Phoenix head coach Dennis Flenner said. "They did something to the Pirates that not anybody's been able to do, and that's kept us from sticking it on in the second half." Phoenix scored eight minutes into the match on senior forward David Peterson's textbook finish for a 1-0 lead, then was shut out the rest of the way. Junction City evened it at 1-all halfway through the first half, and the Tigers kept the pressure on until sophomore outside midfielder Michael Zemba blasted home the game-winner minutes into the second half. With desperation setting in, the Pirates attacked relentlessly in the late going, outshooting Junction City 10-5 after Zemba's goal. But Tigers junior goalkeeper Kyle Adams and a defense led by senior sweeper Tyler Ceniga, sophomore outside fullback Jonathan Lund and junior central midfielder Ty Hardin - who shadowed Hendricks - kept Phoenix at bay. "We play a very scrappy, helping defense," said Junction City head coach Chris Bolton, whose squad claimed the No. 1 seed out of the Sky-Em League. "So a team is really going to have to have a lot of ball control to beat us." And according to star central midfielder Hendricks, the Pirates didn't have their usual possession game in place Saturday. "Normally, we have a real good short passing game, and we got away from that," said Hendricks, who ended the season with 24 goals and 13 assists. "They shut us down." When Phoenix scored in the early going, it seemed the Pirates were on course for a 16th straight victory. Hendricks controlled in the middle of the field, created space with one of his trademark, aggressive dribbling forays and passed up to his left. Senior forward Devin Wilson got possession but was knocked off the ball. Peterson swooped in from behind Wilson to pick up the loose change and deposit his third goal of the playoffs past Adams. Undaunted by the deficit, the Tigers coolly took control. At about the 20-minute mark, Junction City senior forward Justin Whitman tied it up off a diagonal pass from Zemba. As Phoenix senior goalkeeper Daniel Kieffer bore down on him at the edge of the penalty box, Whitman raced to the ball and one-timed a left-footed shot to Kieffer's left and just inside the right post. "He's great at finishing," said Bolton of Whitman, the Tigers' leading scorer with 21 goals. Kieffer made two point-blank saves in the latter stages of the first half to keep the match knotted at the break. Junction City enjoyed a 9-3 shots edge in the first 40 minutes. Nonetheless, Flenner said he believed the Pirates would pour it on, as they had so many times before, in the second half. "At halftime, I just felt so confident we were going to nail the coffin lid down," said Flenner, whose seventh season in charge of the Phoenix boys came to a close. "We have been so proficient with scoring in our program." But the Pirates, averaging 4.9 goals per game entering Saturday's match, soon fell behind and couldn't come back. Shortly after Tigers sophomore forward Ross Eshleman drilled a shot off the crossbar above a diving Kieffer, Junction City struck for the game-winner. A Tigers throw-in along the left sideline found its way across the field to the waiting feet of Zemba, who knew what to do with an open look at the far post. From there, Phoenix played with a visible sense of urgency, but Flenner said the Pirates overstepped the fine line between control and panic. "Especially when we gave up that second goal, we got scared," Flenner said. "In the playoffs, you can't put yourself in that situation; you can't play scared." The Pirates' best chance at an equalizer came courtesy of a connection between Peterson and fellow senior forward Gerardo Serna. Peterson passed to Serna near the top of the Junction City box, and Serna beat one defender before firing a low shot that Adams managed to block in tight quarters. Phoenix had six second-half corner kicks and an 8-1 overall advantage. In shots, the Tigers claimed a 17-13 edge, and they committed nine fouls to the Pirates' six. Bolton mentioned that facing Phoenix in the Pirates' non-counting jamboree - where the Tigers won 2-1 in a 40-minute period - helped Junction City forge a successful game plan. Hendricks agreed. "They knew where to hit us at," said the senior, who served as team co-captain along with sweeper Albright. "They knew our weaknesses and took advantage of those. "I think that they probably will (win the state title)." And as Flenner said while pondering Phoenix's fate after the defeat, the Pirates are "still in shock" that they no longer have that chance. Reach reporter Tim Pyle at 776-4483 or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.