Tigers fall in SEK finale

Fort Scott's Jessie Brown (21) workes to get around Coffeyville's Boone Ott during the first half of play at Ellis Park Thursday afternoon. Coffeyville won the game 3-1, scoring all its goals in the second half. (Tribune photo/Scott Nuzum)

If you were going toward the south at Ellis Park Thursday afternoon, your team enjoyed the advantage.

All four goals in a Southeast Kansas League soccer match between Fort Scott High and Coffeyville were scored into the south goal. But the Golden Tornado found the net three times in the second half, when they were going in that direction.

"It was just two different teams out there," Gray said of the effort, which was the regular-season finale for the Tigers, 1-7 in the SEK and 3-12 overall. They will wait almost two weeks to find out when and where they will play a Regional Tournament first-round game.

The Tigers had to drop a game that was on the schedule for today with Maranatha Academy of Shawnee because that school scheduled someone else and had its 16-game maximum. Fort Scott tried to see if it could get a home match with Riverton, which is also short a game, but that fell though when Riverton didn't return calls.

This was likely the final home game for the Tigers' six seniors: Stephen Buntain. Brady Toole, Brad Parsons, Barry Park, Wes Wiggins and Cody McKay.

Buntain, who plays mostly defender and some midfield, put the Tigers on the board in the waning seconds of the first half, when he took a free kick after a foul and hit the net for his first goal of the season.

Just before the kick, Tiger assistant coach Stephen Elliott told Buntain to "Look for your opportunity." It turned out the opportunity was over the wall of Coffeyville defenders and and just a little to the right of the goalkeeper.

The Tigers had several other opportunities to get on the board earlier in the half, some for short range. Josh Buller had a shot go to the right of the goal by about a foot in the 17th minute. Chris McAllister missed over the crossbar in the 20th minute.

The Tiger defense also helped out. Buntain cleared out a dangerous loose ball in front of the net in the 35th minute and goalkeeper Brad Parsons blocked a short-range shot in the 37th.

Fort Scott took seven shots in the first half to Coffeyville's four. But only one Tornado shot was on net.

The Tigers tried to add to their lead early in the second half but Buller's blast from the right side just missed to the left.

After that, Coffeyville, 4-3, 6-8-1, took over the momentum. Sheldon Duke scored from Kyle Bell's corner kick in the 43rd minute and scored again unassisted in the 52nd to put the 'Nado up 2-1. Michael Frazier's goal in the 59th minute created the final margin.

Fort Scott did step it back up in the final five minutes but couldn't create the same kind of chances it had in the first half.

"The first half we played like we should have played all year," Fort Scott head coach David Gray said. "That was probably our best half we played. The second half, we told them to take advantage of the sun (attack from the goalkeeper's right), since it was going to be in the goalie's eyes. But the ball was on the other side of the field the whole half."

Final totals show that Coffeyville took 16 second-half shots to finish with 20. The Tigers managed only three more shots in the second half after Buller's attempt and finished with 11.

Parsons made 10 saves on 13 Tornado shots on goal. His counterpart, Juan Ortiz, made four saves for Coffeyville.

JUNIOR VARSITY -- The Tigers won 2-0 over Coffeyville in their final outing of the season. Aaron Cowlishaw was credited with the first goal in the eighth minute. Goalkeeper Grant Wells' long free kick was converted into Kholton Dwyer's goal in the 16th minute,

In addition to his assist, Wells didn't have to make any saves as Coffeyville failed to get a shot on goal and took just two in the game.

Goalkeepers

C -- Juan Ortiz (5 shots, 4 saves). FS -- Brad Parsons (13 shots, 10 saves).

Scoring

FS -- Stephen Buntain (1, free kick), 40'.

C -- Sheldon Duke (Kyle Bell), 43'

C -- Duke 2 (unassisted), 52'

C -- Michael Frazier (unassisted), 59'