PLATTE CITY – Josh Nelson came to the rescue in overtime with a sudden-death goal in overtime in the Platte County soccer team’s (6-3) 2-1 win over Grain Valley (2-7) on Sept. 18.
Coming off a tough 3-0 loss to Liberty North (7-3) on Sept. 12, Platte County played in just its second home game of the fall in the victory over Grain Valley. The Pirates also defeated Staley (1-9) 1-0 behind a goal by A.J. Schrick on Sept. 5.
It was a defensive battle in the Kansas City Suburban Conference White Division matchup as Grain Valley junior Jackson Bieri scored in the 28th minute for the sole first half goal. Gavin Nichols tied the game with a header in the 54th minute and the game went into extra time after Schrick’s shot with right under three minutes left in regulation went wide left.
Nelson was able to help the Pirates pull out the conference win with a goal in the 83rd minute. Platte County moved to 2-0 in the White Division, which included a 1-0 victory over Raytown (6-1) thanks to a second half score by Fabian Risanger on Sept. 6.
Platte County used the overtime victory over Grain Valley as momentum to put two more tallies in the win column. The Pirates came out with a 3-0 win over Kearney – who snapped a 15-game losing streak in the series with a 2-1 triumph in 2022 – on Sept. 20.
Platte County kept it rolling and beat Van Horn (5-6) 3-2 on Sept. 21 to win its sixth game in its last seven tries after an 0-2 start. The Pirates are right past the midway mark of the fall and will host William Chrisman (5-2) on Sept. 27.