photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Baldwin junior midfielder Cooper Carr jumps for a header in a 3-1 loss to Trinity Academy in the boys soccer semifinal game at Liston Stadium in Baldwin City.

Baldwin City — The Baldwin boys soccer season fell short of the team’s preseason expectations with a 3-1 loss to Wichita Trinity Academy at Liston Stadium in the semifinal of the 4-1A state tournament, but the season isn’t over for the Bulldogs. They have one more game to win — one more game to play together as a team.

That was the message to the team from coach Mike McCune at Liston Field at Baker University following the loss. That, and that sometimes in soccer, 15 minutes of poor play can be the difference in a game, despite 75 minutes of good play.

The Knights took an early lead on the Bulldogs by scoring in the ninth minute and the 16th minute of the game. Both goals were discombobulating for the Bulldogs, as the team allowed 12 goals total prior to the match against Trinity Academy. Senior defenseman Dylan Koontz said that the Bulldogs didn’t have energy at the right times, and that the team wasn’t focusing on communication. The Knights possessed the ball and made it difficult for the Bulldogs to put together an offensive attack.

“Defensively, it was uncharacteristic for us,” McCune said. “We gave up three (goals), two in a fashion that we should not have given up.”

The Bulldogs responded and scored their lone goal with 20 minutes left in the first half, a header from Kuntz. The Knights scored one last goal with under three minutes left in the half.

McCune’s message was that the Bulldogs got to this stage in the season for a reason. They earned their spot with a 16-win season, and they needed to get down to basics and do what they do best. Kuntz said that seeing the scoreboard at the start of the second half was a wake-up call. For the final 45 minutes of the game, McCune said the Bulldogs did a much better job of that.

For the second half, the Bulldogs made a few adjustments that prevented the Knights from utilizing their midfielders in the way the Knights had in the first half. The deficit still proved insurmountable, and the Knights won 3-1 to advance to the state championship game in Wichita on Saturday.

The Bulldogs, who have come close but fallen short of a state title, will play the consolation game at the Stryker Sports Complex in Wichita on Saturday. Spirits on the team are down following the loss, but the team has one last chance to come together and play soccer. That’s something that the team can look forward to in the days leading up to the game.

“This game is already in the past; we need to forget about it,” Kuntz said. “I think we need to go into that third-place game and play how we know we can play and fully forget about this game.”

The consolation game will be against Bishop Miege at 10 a.m. in Wichita.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Baldwin senior forward Nicholas Johnson moves forward to press a Trinity Academy defender on Wednesday, November 6, 2024 at Liston Stadium in Baldwin City.