It was simply step back and kick for Missouri Military Academy soccer on Thursday.

Missouri Military Academy vs Fatima Districts Photo Gallery

The Colonels scored twice in the final 10 minutes after Fatima penalties to win 3-1 in the Class 1 District 4 semifinals in Westphalia to set up a rematch between the ninth state-ranked Colonels and sixth state-ranked Father Tolton, who defeated Calvary Lutheran 8-0 on Thursday, at 6 p.m. Monday for the championship. 

MMA (13-6) will play in their first district title game since 2018 and needed late offense after Fatima’s Tyler Koenigsfeld tied the game at 1 in the 50th minute, putting the ball in the net after a long pass cleared goalkeeper Joseph Roach’s defenses. After being limited to three shots in the first half, the Colonels took nine shots in the second and were able to draw penalties that resulted in a game-winning penalty kick from Jose Orozco in the 74th minute and a goal by Avin Hernandez, who was back after dealing with a knee injury recently, after he immediately followed on a penalty kick that hit the crossbar.

“You don’t always win the game based on a penalty, but in a semifinal game, it’s anybody’s name,” head coach Elliot Goodwin said. “We’ve been talking about this week leading up to the game: combinations on top of the box, quick passes, moving the ball. That’s exactly what happened.”

Orozco, the sophomore from Mexico City, Mexico, prepared for his shot at the Fatima goalkeeper Michael Sesti, who had already made some saves in the second half. He was able to put the ball in the net, much to his delight as he ran almost to the left sideline after converting the penalty kick.

“I had my whole team in my head so that made me nervous,” Orozco said. “I got the ball and said ‘Let’s go.’ Then I took the ball, scored and was so excited.”

“Orozco is good with the ball at his feet,” Goodwin said. “It was either going to be a penalty or he was going to score. It’s one of the strengths of the boys. We’ve got good technical players on the field so anywhere around the box, if we strike the ball on goal, we’re going to be dangerous, and if we get it at our feet, we’re going to be dangerous.”

Goodwin said those free kicks were earned after MMA adjusted in the second half as he felt his team moved away from moving the ball following Arron Gonzalez Rodriguez’s goal in the 21st minute. Fatima’s defense didn’t allow Sesti to face many scoring threats, with exception to a breakaway that hit him directly in the hands as he slid.

The Comets (8-17) cleared the ball out-of-bounds whenever the Colonels were closing in. Goodwin said it was a different Fatima team from what MMA saw in its 4-1 victory in Westphalia during the regular season. 

“We want to move the ball effectively and put people in better positions instead of doing things as individuals by moving the ball,” Goodwin said. “That’s why there were more chances (in the second half).”

The scoring chances were flipped in the first half as Fatima tallied nine shots in the first 40 minutes so MMA responded with six saves from Roach with some assistance from the Colonel defenders at moments. The Comets struggled more in the second half with four chances, sending a couple flying over the crossbar.

“It was just pressure, balance and coverage — the simplistics of basic defending,” Goodwin said. “I always tell them, if they are in a dangerous position, just put the ball in the road or put as far as you can in the trees and don’t mess with it. It’s the simplest thing to do because your first decision is normally your right decision. Don’t second-guess yourself. Clear the ball, first and foremost, and they did that in some moments.”

Roach made a diving save within the first 10 minutes of the game and has displayed solid defense between the posts, Goodwin said, especially considering this is his first year playing soccer.

“Roach has pulled us out of dangerous moments,” Goodwin said. “He’s made key saves at key moments when we’ve needed him. We really enjoy having him.”

Goodwin said he told his team two months ago after a 4-0 loss to Tolton (13-9) that the Colonels should shoot for playing the top-seeded team again for a district championship. Now the Colonels have earned that right, the goal is now to win the program’s first district title since 2018.

In the first meeting with Tolton, Goodwin said MMA was a different team with more injuries and more fatigue from playing multiple games that week. He believes Monday will be a different game, and his players don’t want to waste this chance.

“We stayed focused, played dynamically and made passes all the time (against Fatima),” Orozco said. “At MMA, when we have one chance, we score. We are not a team that has a lot of chances, but when we have the chance to score, we score.”