‘This just feels amazing.’ Dunbar tops defending champ in 11th Region title shootout.
After battling the defending state champions to a scoreless stalemate for 90 minutes in the 11th Region finals at Frederick Douglass High School on Thursday night, things looked bleak for the Paul Laurence Dunbar boys’ soccer team.
Henry Clay goalie Angel Velasco-Urbina had just turned back the Bulldogs’ third penalty kick and the Blue Devils took a one-shot advantage, putting all the pressure on Dunbar goalie Hunter Abshire.
He was up to the challenge.
Abshire came up with a huge save on Henry Clay’s fourth shot, allowing Dunbar to draw even. After Dunbar pulled ahead on its fifth kick, Henry Clay’s attempt at an equalizer clanged off the crossbar, sealing the victory for the Bulldogs and sending them to the state tournament.
“I just had to focus and stay calm,” Abshire said of his mentality approaching the fourth penalty kick. “I just tried to concentrate and read every little piece of information he gave me. All I could do was react in the moment and it ended up turning our way, and I’m so grateful.”
Dunbar first-year head coach James Wray said a trip to the state tournament is a gratifying reward for successfully navigating a brutal schedule and knocking off the two-time defending region champion Blue Devils.
“What a relief. This whole region is loaded. It’s such a battle just to get out of our district,” Wray said. “It’s going to be like this every year, we knew what we were in for. But these guys were up to the challenge tonight and we finished it off in the end.”
His critical save capped a huge night for Abshire, who was named 11th Region Tournament Most Valuable Player in a ceremony following the victory. Abshire turned away several good scoring opportunities by the Blue Devils over the course of regulation and two overtime periods, then calmly settled in to make the save that helped seal the game.
“It’s just a mentality. Hunter thinks he can save every one of them,” Wray said. “He steps up to the line there and I told him, ‘just get us one.’ He got us that one then luckily we got another miss.”
It was a dramatic climax to a compelling back-and-forth battle. Henry Clay (13-2-0) — looking to avenge its 3-1 loss to the Bulldogs in the third game of the season — was the clear aggressor for much of the opening half. The Blue Devils spent the majority of the first 40 minutes in attack mode on Dunbar’s side of the field.
“They were all over us early ... Henry Clay came out on fire and it kind of put us on our back foot,” Wray said. “I told the guys, ‘let’s just play our game,’ and they finally settled in and got some traction.”
The script flipped in the second half as Dunbar, led by junior forward Issac Cano, pressed the issue and appeared several times to have the Blue Devils’ defense on its heels. But Velasco-Urbina answered the bell, coming up with a highlight reel full of clutch saves for Henry Clay to preserve the scoreless tie.
Though the Bulldogs couldn’t break through with a regulation goal, Abshire said Cano’s aggressive offense laid the foundation for the win.
“Issac did a great job of applying pressure at the top,” Abshire said. “That pressure starts to get into their defenders’ heads and once you’re there it’s hard for them to get you out. So even though Issac didn’t put any shots away, he did a great job of putting pressure on them and making things happen.”
In the first overtime period, Velasco-Urbina blocked two close-range shots from Cano within seconds of each other.
“He was absolutely great tonight,” Wray said of Velasco-Urbina’s effort in the net. “That last shot that Issac had, that’s the end against most every other goalie. We all were getting ready to run on the field and celebrate a win, and he comes out of nowhere and makes a save.”
Paul Dunbar (14-0-1) finally got to Henry Clay’s stingy goalkeeper during a thrilling shootout. Now, the Bulldogs are headed back to the state tournament for the first time since 2016.
“This just feels amazing,” Abshire said. “It’s a major shot of confidence, but we have to stay humble .. stay focused, stay humble and we should be fine.”
Semifinals drama
The Bulldogs and Blue Devils both earned their berths in Thursday’s region championship match with dramatic victories in Tuesday’s semifinal round at Frederick Douglass.
Henry Clay edged 44th District runner-up Madison Central, 3-2. It was just the second loss of the season for the Indians, both coming within a five-day span.
Dunbar and Frederick Douglass fought to a scoreless tie through regulation and overtime before the Bulldogs pulled out the victory on penalty kicks.
KHSAA State Soccer Tournament
All games start Saturday at 4 p.m. local time
(Matchups listed in bracketed order)
Butler (14-1-0) at North Oldham (11-1-1)
St. Xavier (15-2-0) at Elizabethtown (12-4-0)
Perry Co. Central (7-4-0) at Ashland Blazer (9-5-1)
Prestonsburg (15-1-0) at Corbin (11-1-1)
Montgomery Co. (8-3-3) at Boyle Co. (9-8-1)
Paul Laurence Dunbar (14-0-1) at Ryle (15-0-0)
Henderson Co. (8-2-1) at South Warren (13-1-1)
Daviess Co. (13-2-2) at McCracken Co. (11-2-3)
This story was originally published October 23, 2020 at 7:46 AM.
