New Ulm penalty kick late in second half helps Eagles edge Trojans, 2-1

A New Ulm penalty kick was converted for a goal by Jackson Ocampo with 4:44 to play in the second half Tuesday night, and the Eagles held on from there to edge Worthington 2-1 in the Section 2AA boys soccer championship match in rainy New Prague.

The Trojans, who concluded their season with a record of 13-5-1, had earned a chance to play for the section title despite entering the tournament as a No. 4 seed. WHS beat visiting Marshall 3-2 in the quarterfinals, then stormed back on the road from a 3-0 deficit to knock out top-seeded and defending sectional champ Mankato East 4-3 in overtime in the semis.

It looked as if the Trojan magic would continue Tuesday, at least through the first half. Their persistence paid off when Elder Lopez scored his fourth goal of the postseason with 10:40 left to go before intermission. Lopez’s shot, which he tapped in from inside the goal box into the left-hand corner of the net, gave WHS a 1-0 edge.

Third-seeded New Ulm had a golden opportunity to score in the final seconds of the half, but an Eagle player passed up an open shot and directed the ball to a teammate instead. The end result was a shot that flew over the head of Trojan goalkeeper Adrian Flores and out of bounds as time expired.

New Ulm came out more aggressively in the second half and was able to even the score at 1 when Ocampo scored with 4:42 gone by. The deadlock remained in place until Ocampo chased down a long pass and WHS was called for a foul on him in the goal box. The Eagles, who had missed multiple opportunities for goals shortly beforehand, didn’t miss this time.

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The Worthington Trojans volleyball team played its final home match of the year Tuesday night and was defeated by Mankato East 3-0. Game scores were 25-22, 25-20, 25-6.

Four players – Alaina Feit, Lauren Nixon, Natalia Martinez and Mara Thier – had four kills apiece for the Trojans, Natya Khamphanh had nine digs, Macie Mahlberg eight and Thier seven. Kamyrn Olson was a perfect 10-of-10 serving with an ace. Khamphanh passed for 19 set assists.

Worthington, now 9-16 overall, will play its regular-season finale Thursday night at Southwest Minnesota Christian. A sectional match will follow next Wednesday.

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Among the area football games scheduled for tonight, 5-2 Adrian-Ellsworth will host 0-7 Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart; 2-5 Heron Lake-Okabena/Fulda entertains 6-1 and fourth-ranked Wabasso; and unbeaten and state AA No. 1 Jackson County Central travels to 3-4 Windom. The 0-7 Worthington Trojans, meanwhile, will play at 2-5 Tri-City United.

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In area high school volleyball Tuesday night:

Pipestone Area 3, Heron Lake-Okabena/Fulda 0

Sioux Falls Christian 3, Jackson County Central 0

Martin Luther-Granada Huntley East Chain-Truman 3, Fairmont 2

Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 3, Yellow Medicine East 1

Luverne 3, Hills-Beaver Creek 1

Springfield 3, Mountain Lake Area-Comfrey 2

Marshall 3, Windom 0

Sheldon 3, West Lyon 0

MOC Floyd Valley 3, Okoboji 1

Unity Christian 3, Central Lyon 0

George-Little Rock 3, Sibley-Ocheyedan 1

Trinity Christian 3, West Sioux 0