Guillermo Hernandez scored the first and last goals of the game as the Beardstown Tigers captured the Monmouth Regional title with a 2-1 victory over the M-R Titans.
Six minutes into the second half, Beardstown winger Joshua Severino put a dangerous ball into the box and Hernandez won a battle to get off a shot inside the penalty spot. Despite the best efforts of two M-R defenders to clear the ball off the line, it trickled in for a 2-1 Beardstown lead.
Against the run of play, Hernandez started the scoring in the game’s third minute, netting a shot from close range on the right side. M-R, which had been pressuring the Tigers’ defense from the opening kick, answered just two minutes later when Bruntsh Bolese scored off a pass into the box from Derrek Martell.
The Titans were dealt a harsh blow when all-conference center back Biak Ceu was injured in the game’s 13th minute and could not return. Five minutes later, a Beardstown corner kick goal was waved off after the Tigers were called for fouling M-R goalie Isaac Garcia on the play.
The Titans had a ball go off the framework late in the first half, and they nearly scored the equalizer midway through the second half, when Cee Sarcomo narrowly missed heading in Martell’s free kick.
Beardstown held a 17-9 edge in shots, and the teams were whistled for 33 fouls, 17 on the Titans. Garcia made three saves in his final game as a Titan. Six of his senior classmates played their final game, as well – Martell, Ceu, Bolese, Rogelio Meza, Elijah Sang and Angel Jurado.
Beardstown advances to the Chillicothe Sectional this weekend, while M-R ends at 13-8-4. The Titans finished 9-3-2 in their final 14 games after a 7-0 loss to Beardstown midway through the season, with all three losses coming by one goal.
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