The Platte County boys’ soccer team spent the entire offseason thinking about what could have been after being upset in the 2021 Class 3 District 8 Championship Game by Guadalupe Centers Charter.
Platte County’s Connor Currence (#16) and A.J. Schrick (#13) celebrate after one of Schrick’s three goals in the Pirates 4-2 win over Guadalupe Centers Charter in the first game of the Class 3 District 8 Tournament at Pembroke High School.
Last fall, the Pirates won 20 of their first 23 games and earned the No. 2 seed in the district tournament where they found themselves in a matchup with the fourth-seeded Aztecs – who they had defeated 3-0 early in the season – at Platte County High School. Guadalupe Centers Charter took advantage of the short-handed Pirates in the game and came away with a 3-1 upset victory to end Platte County’s season short of a district title.
Fast forward almost exactly a year and the two squads matched up again in the first round of the postseason tournament. This time, Platte County came out with a 4-2 victory over seventh-seeded Guadalupe Centers Charter at Pembroke High School on Oct. 29.
The Pirates entered the day as the No. 2 seed in the Class 3 District 8 Tournament and closed out the regular season with eight wins, including a 2-0 victory over Belton (9-9) in the final game of regular season play on Oct. 27 to clinch the Kansas City Suburban Conference White Division title. Platte County had outscored its last eight opponents 28-7 before stepping foot onto the Pembroke Hill field to begin the postseason. Guadalupe Centers Charter stuck around for awhile in the district rematch, but A.J. Schrick’s hat-trick lifted the Pirates to a revenge win.
Schrick scored the Pirates’ opening three goals, with his final one coming with 25 minutes left in the second half to push the margin to 3-1. Aaron Cordova put the game away with a goal later in the half and although the Aztecs found the back of the net one more time, Platte County eliminated Guadalupe Centers Charter.
No. 6 seeded Pembroke Hill (7-13-1) upset No. 3 seeded Lincoln College Prep on the same day with the Raiders and Pirates matching up in the Class 3 District 8 Semifinals on Nov. 1. Platte County defeated Pembroke Hill 3-2 earlier this season on Oct. 13.