Missouri Military Academy might not have been able to become No. 1 on Thursday night but still feel like No. 1.

Day 1 MMA State Soccer Photo Gallery

Day 2 MMA State Soccer Photo Gallery

The No. 3 Colonels lost the Class 1 soccer state championship game to No. 1 Valley Park 4-0 at Harlen C. Hunter Stadium at Lindenwood University in St. Charles. MMA had only been shut out once before this season and the loss ended a nine-game winning streak, but the program earned its second ever state trophy and first ever since 1992. 

The 1992 team finished fourth so Thursday was MMA’s first ever state championship game. The Colonels (17-5) fell behind 2-0 within the first three minutes and then 3-0 within the first 15 minutes but shut out Valley Park (25-3), who won its first ever soccer state title, in the second half. Head coach Elliot Goodwin said he knows his players gave everything they had and shouldn’t hang their heads.

“Every time they’ve worn the shirt this year, they’ve given everything,” Goodwin said. “That’s all you can ask. As coaches, if they go out there and give it their all, we’ll always be proud of them. They’ve achieved something remarkable that will always be remembered in MMA history.”

Goodwin’s assistant coach Rodrigo Padilla was added to his staff this season after working solely for the admissions office. Padilla graduated from the school in 2015 and played soccer just like this year’s Colonels. Since Padilla is a former MMA cadet, he wanted to “give back” even more. 

“It’s the first time in 32 years the boys have made it this far,” Padilla said. “Just today, even though the results weren’t expected, they made history. They should be proud of what they accomplished today. As a MMA cadet, I know how amazing this is. Everything they did this season got them here. Their talent got them here.”

Valley Park scored six goals in its 6-3 semifinal win Wednesday over New Heights Christian Academy with McAuley Catholic and continued its offensive tear this season, when the Hawks averaged 4.1 goals per game. The Hawks capped the season with an eight-game winning streak. 

Goodwin said those early goals definitely had an impact on the game. He just didn’t mean on the scoreboard but mentally.

“They put us on our back heels, and I think it shook us a little bit,” Goodwin said. “We moved away from the game plan. For a 30-minute spell, we were on our heels a lot. They took advantage of some individual mistakes and simple errors that they capitalized on.”

Senior Will Geary set Final Four records by scoring seven goals (two against MMA) and recording 15 points in a season he finished with 60 goals. Meanwhile, Goodwin said Fernando Puebla and his team-high 37 goals going in were shut down most of the game by Valley Park.

“It’s his size, his physicality and his speed,” Goodwin said. “He’s got good attributes as a player. Even matching up our best player against him, he found some good moments and was definitely a handful for us. I don’t think he was their biggest threat. It was a contribution of their full team going forward tonight.”

MMA did finish this year as the state runner-up, but Goodwin said this team can be simply summed up that way. Goodwin said he saw his players a lot on the practice field and during games but also every day at school. In that respect, the players and people behind those players won’t be forgotten anytime soon. 

Puebla, Alex McBride and his 16 goals, and the defensive back line that includes Avin Hernandez, Eric Shellabarger, Alvaro Gonzalez and Emiliano Martinez were definitely crucial parts of the team this season. However, Goodwin said success like this year is only achieved by a strong full roster. For example, Mateo Eaton and Patricio Sanchez have been “fantastic” in the midfield and Emilio Perez gave the Colonels a spark since joining them after the start of the season. 

“In my eyes, we’ll never be runners-up,” Goodwin said. “We’ll never be because I’ll always be proud and always look back on this moment with pride and so should they. It’s a special team. You don’t have special teams and groups like that every year. They’ll always be a special team and a team I’ll remember for a long time.”

“Seeing how the chemistry evolves every single practice, every single game and how they get to know each other even more, it’s truly amazing,” Padilla said. “I’m proud of my boys. They’ve been doing an incredible job the whole season.”

Goodwin is glad to have coached a team where “everybody supports each other” and appreciates everybody around the Colonels, including athletic director Brian Meny offering his support and Padilla being a “phenomenal” coach. That was evident to the very last second of a strong second half to end a special season.

“They played with pride,” Goodwin said. “That’s all I asked them to do. I said, ‘Go out there and prove something. Don’t let this season die. Don’t shy out. Don’t be second best. Go out and prove what we’ve done.’ I was pleased with their second-half performance.”