Jonah Sautter prepared for this moment, envisioned each shot.
The Lisbon junior goaltender didn’t come out and say his team’s game plan was to go to penalty kicks against a talented Waynflete squad in Saturday’s Class C South semifinal clash. But, he was definitely prepared for the moment.
The victory sends Lisbon (10-3-3) to its first regional final, where the Greyhounds, seeded third, will face top-seeded Monmouth on Wednesday. The Mustangs downed North Yarmouth Academy, 2-1, on Saturday.
After both teams scored three times in the first round of PKs, Sautter stopped Askar Hussein and Thorne Kieffer. Goals by Lisbon’s Josh Huston, Chris Normand and Dylan George clinched it for the Greyhounds, setting off a wild celebration, with Lisbon players piling on Sautter on the muddy field.
“We have worked on PKs all season, and we tell Jonah to pick his side and go for it,” said Lisbon coach Dan Sylvester. “Hats off to Jonah. He played a fantastic game and just showed the kind of goalie that he is. I am so proud of him.”
For Sautter, it was about making a decision and sticking with it.
“I knew which way I was going before each shot,” he said. “I told myself during the regular season that if penalty kicks happen, I would go this way, then that way. I stuck with that and it worked out.”
Sautter made 10 saves through 80 minutes of regulation and another four in the two 15-minute overtime sessions, including a pointblank stop of Waynflete’s Diraige Dahia. Sautter found himself down on the play, but managed to get to his knees before putting himself between Dahia and the goal to keep the game scoreless.
“My heart dropped when I went to the ground, but somehow I got there,” said Sautter of the save.
Talented Waynflete
“We had to limit 7 (Ilyas Abdi) and 16 (Hussein), their best threats,” said Sylvester of his team’s plan coming into Saturday’s contest. “Josh Huston played a phenomenal game, and our defense did what it needed to do, knowing that we had to weather the storm.”
“We tried to lock down the defense and played this game with a new game plan,” said Huston after the Greyhounds played a defensive game, often with nine or even 10 players standing tall in the defensive end against the talented Flyers. “We knew that we didn’t have as much skill as them. But what we have is something we are proud of. We don’t quit.”
Waynflete (8-6-2) owned the opening half, outshooting Lisbon, 9-2. The Greyhounds seemed to find their footing in the second half, pushing forward more. Flyers goaltender Luca Antolini made five of his seven saves in the overtime periods.
As the game went to penalty kicks, Sautter had a look of confidence.
“We didn’t say it, but we had this result in the back of our heads, especially heading into the second overtime,” said Sautter. “We just needed to lock down. We knew that they had more skill than us, but that didn’t mean much in penalty kicks.”
“We haven’t been in situations like this,” said Sylvester.
Lisbon grabbed the edge in the first round of PKs, as Nick Lerette and Bryant Hall scored for a 2-1 lead. But, Waynflete pushed back, getting a goal each from Max Winson and Mykel Henry for a 3-2 advantage after Lisbon missed the cage on backto back shots.
Lisbon senior captain Ryley Austin calmly scored into the right corner to send the game to a second set of PKs.
Huston scored for the Greyhounds, and Waynflete’s Ian McClure-Chute tied it after Antolini made a save on Lisbon’s second chance.
Normand scored to put the Greyhounds ahead to stay, and Waynflete’s Burr Rhoades sent his attempt high. George slipped his shot off the fingertips of a diving Antolini to end it.
“This is the direction that we have been heading in,” said Sylvester. “We have been in the semis three times since I have been coaching, and this is just a big tip of the cap to the work that these guys have put in. Lisbon is a football school, but we are now also a soccer school. This puts us on the map.”
No. 3 Lisbon 0,
No. 7 Waynflete 0
(Lisbon won in second round of
penalty kicks, 3-1)
Class C South Boys
Soccer Semifinals
Saturday at Lisbon
Waynflete — 0 0 0 — 0
Lisbon — 0 0 0 — 0
Shots — Waynflete 23, Lisbon 11.
Saves — (W) Luca Antolini 7; (L)
Jonah Sautter 14.
Corner kicks — Waynflete 13, Lisbon
2.
Penalty kicks round one — (W) Ilyas
Abdi (save), Christian Brooks (goal),
Jack Meahl (save), Max Winson
(goal), Mykel Henry (goal); (L) Nick
Lerette (goal), Bryant Hall (goal),
Noah Austin (wide), Andrew Balser
(cross bar), Ryley Austin (goal). 3-3.
Penalty kicks round two — (W)
Askar Hussein (save), Thorne Kieffer
(save), Ian McClure-Chute (goal),
Burr Rhoades (high); (L) Josh Huston (goal), Bradley Boulet (save),
Chris Normand (goal), Dylan George
(goal). Lisbon 3-1.
Records — Lisbon 10-3-3; Waynflete
8-6-2.
Up next for the Greyhounds —
Wednesday at No. 1 Monmouth in
Class C South regional final, time
TBA.
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