Barstow beats Canton 2-1, wins Missouri Class 1 soccer title
Pedro DeCastro tucked the trophy under his arm, holding it close as if to shield it from the cold.
Several minutes after Barstow won its first boys soccer state championship with a 2-1 Missouri Class 1 victory over Canton, DeCastro wasn’t ready to let go of his school’s newest keepsake Saturday at Blue Springs High School.
“What just happened in the last two weeks (in the playoffs), it’s amazing,” said DeCastro, the Knights’ senior forward and leading goal-scorer. “I can’t describe the feeling I have right now.”
DeCastro’s 61st-minute goal put Barstow ahead 2-0. The Knights controlled possession and outshot Canton 16-4 but had to outlast a frantic, physical final few minutes as the overmatched Tigers pushed forward.
A match otherwise dominated by Barstow didn’t become a runaway thanks to Canton goalkeeper Collin Lubbert’s seven saves and then became tense when Cameron Durst buried a free kick from 30 yards with 7 minutes left — the only shot on goal for the Tigers, 11-8.
“That’s a good team, they’re scrappy, but I think our skill put them on their heels a little,” Barstow coach Scott Huppe said.
Matthew Bruce put the Knights ahead 11 minutes in with a close-range header off Arman Javaheri‘s low cross from near the end line as Barstow, 13-9, put seven shots on goal in the first half.
Knights forwards repeatedly found themselves one-on-one with Lubbert in the box after receiving passes threaded through the Canton back line. Each time, Lubbert threw his body in front of the shot and recovered to smother the save.
Three of those shots came from DeCastro, who finally sent his fourth shot on goal, set up by a pass from Javaheri, low and hard by Lubbert as the keeper charged at him.
“The first half I was thinking too much and worked to forget all those missed opportunities I had,” said DeCastro, who finished with 19 goals, including one in Friday’s semifinal. “I went with my instincts and got a goal for us.”
This story was originally published November 15, 2014 at 7:52 PM with the headline "Barstow beats Canton 2-1, wins Missouri Class 1 soccer title."