Boys soccer: McKeel falls in 4A-10 district championship final
LAKELAND — It was apparent early in the Class 4A, District 7 boys soccer tournament final between Tampa King and McKeel Academy that this was going to be a defensive chess match.
In the end, it was King who ended up with the checkmate.
Rikhil Venkataperumal headed in the game’s only goal off a long header in the 60th minute as the Lions secured the district crown with a 1-0 victory over the Wildcats on Wednesday night at McKeel Academy.
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Venkataperumal’s goal came off a long throw-in from Zachary Veno from about 20 yards out. Venkataperumal was able to get in front of goalie Nate Miller and head the ball into the low, near-side corner of the net.
McKeel had a few late chances off free kicks, with the best coming off the foot of Claudio Rivero from about 30 yards out. Rivero launched a hard shot that just missed high.
Much of the game was decided by the defense as the middle of the field was clogged with bodies as both sides gave up few chances.
“I felt like we enjoyed the majority of the possession, especially in the first half,” McKeel head coach Tanner Adams said. “We created opportunities getting the ball through, wide and across the box. We just couldn’t get a goal. That gave them confidence. I felt we were unlucky tonight. I thought we were the superior team in possession, but just could not score. Sometimes that’s the game. The team that enjoys the majority of the ball and has better chances doesn’t always win. We can only be disappointed with ourselves for not capitalizing on our opportunities.”
With a win, McKeel could have locked up the top seed in the region playoffs, which start next week. Now the Wildcats will have to wait for Friday's rankings. They still could host a first-round match. Unlike recent years, district champions aren't guaranteed to host a first-round game. Teams will be reseeded, and it's likely that McKeel, currently No. 1, will drop out of the top four.
“We still move on,” Adams said. “I’m just disappointed because we had an opportunity to lock in the No. 1 seed for the region and we squandered it. Now we have to go the hard way to reach our objective.”
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Boys soccer: McKeel falls in 4A-10 district championship final
