Knights score last-minute goal to shoot down Hawks

By DONN ADAMSON
Daily Journal Sports Editor

FARMINGTON — Smart heads-up play by the Farmington Knights soccer team helped them bring down the high-flying Hillsboro Hawks by a score of 2-1 Tuesday for the second time in the season. A triple-assisted, last-minute goal by Pete Grindel made the difference in the game.

The Knights defeated Hillsboro in their first game of the season in the Farmington Tournament, but since then the Hawks have won 13 of their last 17 games.

With one minute left in Tuesday’s game, Alex Rhodes lofted a dead-ball kick deep to a charging Knight offense. Connor Eaton raced past a defender to be the first to reach the falling projectile, but realizing that a kick at the time would be stopped by Hillsboro’s charging goalie Mike Porterhouse, Eaton reversed the ball to pass it back to a charging Zach Thomas.

The pass was perfect and it gave Thomas a solid kick, but the ball was blocked by the chest of Porterhouse only to land at the feet of Pete Grindel who drilled it into the net for the score. Farmington’s defense held even though the Hawks would get one last shot off before the final whistle.   

Farmington goalkeeper John Schnurbusch, who made seven saves in the game, was put to the test early. With only seven minutes gone off of the clock, the Hawks had their first big chance to score.

Battling with a Knights’ defender, a Hawks’ attacker got past Schnurbusch with the ball and was about to kick in the first goal of the game, but the defender was able to tackle the Hawks player to prevent the goal.

John Stewart took the penalty kick for the Hawks and he rifled a shot to the left goal post just past the fingertips of a diving Schnurbusch. The ball ricocheted off of the post and into the net for Hillsboro’s lone goal.

The Knights would tie the game with two-minutes left in the half. The goal came on a double assist from Grindel passing the ball in to Derek Franklin, who promptly made a shot. The rebound off of a defender went to Thomas who shot it in before Porterhouse could react in time. Porterhouse made saves on seven of Farmington’s nine shots on goal.

“This was a good win over a district opponent and it should help us in how we are seeded in the tournament,” said Farmington coach Rusty Sancegraw. “We moved the ball well tonight and with a lot of energy. Something we’ve had a little trouble with in earlier games.”

The Knights have won three in a row and are now 9-6 on the year. They will play again this evening at Poplar Bluff.