Lee’s Summit goalie plays hero as Tigers win state soccer title

After 110 minutes of scoreless, toe-to-toe soccer, it seemed appropriate that a goalkeeper would decide the Missouri Class 4 state championship.

Lee’s Summit’s Roman Pena would be that goalie, and he secured the Tigers’ first-ever soccer title in both conventional and unconventional fashion after the scoreless game went to penalty kicks. First, he blocked Chaminade’s fifth attempt. Then he calmly knocked in the Tigers’ fifth shot that made them 5-4 winners Saturday night at Blue Springs South.

“I’ve been dreaming about that moment for a while, happening just like that,” Pena said.

This was no idle dream for Pena. The plan all along, Lee’s Summit coach Dave Wiebenga said, was to have Pena take the fifth shot if they ever went to penalty kicks. The Tigers had never faced penalty kicks all year, but Wiebenga knew his goalie would be ready.

“He does that every day in practice,” Wiebenga said. “It’s a little bit of shock value, because you normally don’t see the goalie take the final PK. But Roman’s a confident young man and he knows he can hit it.”

Both teams were four-for-four on penalties when Pena faced Chaminade forward Jacob Pesek. Pesek, the Red Devils’ second-leading scorer with 13 goals, rolled a ball to the middle of the net that Pena blocked with ease.

A few minutes afterward, Pena punched his shot near the left post, out of the reach of Chaminade goalie Zachary Pogue.

“I was just trying to hit it on frame, honestly,” Pena said. “Just trying not to miss it because all the pressure was coming on to me, but I love that situation.”

Chaminade put plenty of pressure on Pena, and he responded by making seven saves in recording his 11th shutout of the season. He had help from the Tigers’ back line as they thwarted one Red Devil threat after another.

Two of the best saves came in the opening minutes of the second half. Pena made a dazzling save on a shot at the left post by Chaminade’s Ryan Ebert, and defender Michael Gordon knocked away a charging attempt by Kenneth Massa after Pena was drawn out of the net.

Lee’s Summit had its opportunities, too, but Chaminade’s defense proved just as solid. The Tigers had 15 shots, just one less than the Red Devils.

“It was a fantastic match,” Wiebenga said. “They were a phenomenal opponent. There’s a reason why they’ve so many state titles. Being the rookies on the block, we didn’t have anything to lose, so we just went after it.”

Lee’s Summit, 21-3, not only won its first state soccer championship, it also became the first public school to win a large-class since Oakville in 2000. Chaminade, 25-3-1, was looking to win its fourth crown and first since 2006.

This story was originally published November 15, 2014 at 9:15 PM with the headline "Lee’s Summit goalie plays hero as Tigers win state soccer title."