‘Everything we had, we needed it all.’ Lafayette wins 11th Region boys soccer title.

Desperation. Relief. Thrill. Exasperation. Worry.

Lafayette’s boys soccer team experienced just about every emotion imaginable after halftime, but the only one that’ll persist: joy, unbridled as soon as Rylan Chau delivered the decisive penalty kick in the Generals’ shootout victory against Frederick Douglass to decide the 11th Region championship Saturday afternoon at Great Crossing High School.

Chau’s score — a roller to the right of Broncos keeper Delfin Iteriteka — gave Lafayette a 4-1 decision in the shootout following a 2-2 tie through 90 minutes of action, and made the Generals the 11th Region champs for the first time in program history. They’ll begin a quest for their second state title Monday at West Jessamine, the 12th Region winner.

“We always try to practice PKs,” said Meshaki Shendela, who connected on the Generals’ third shootout attempt. “We know where we go, so everybody’s just like, ‘Go where you go every time.’”

Briefly, it seemed that Lafayette would leave Georgetown with a regulation victory. A header by Sawyer Trowel, put into play off a corner kick, got through in the 69th minute to put the Generals in front 2-1. They trailed at the half, 1-0 on a 20-yard free kick delivered by Broncos junior Juan Piedra Figueroa, before an equalizer from Shendela in the 58th minute.

But Douglass didn’t relent. Just six minutes after Trowel’s go-ahead goal, a free kick by Iteriteka found the head of Cooper Ranvier, who propelled a backward equalizer. The Broncos generated a corner attempt as time wound down in regulation, and earned another in the first overtime period, but they couldn’t capitalize. Lafayette’s looks in extra time were less opportunistic until a well-placed cross from Shendela got into the box in minute 89, but a mistimed slide nullified a shot attempt.

Tomas Castro connected on the first PK for Lafayette. Flynn Greathouse, in goal the entire game for the winners, saved the first Douglass attempt before surrendering the second. After Lafayette started 3-for-3 (Castro and Shendela sandwiched a make by Charlie Quinn) and Douglass’ third kick went high, Chau was positioned to end it.

The sophomore is a fixture in Lafayette shootouts and played on-field minutes in all 20 of their games before Saturday. He came in cold with a shin bruise suffered early in the Generals’ semifinal win over Henry Clay on Thursday.

“It’s a pain thing right now,” Lafayette Coach Chris Grimm said. “He tried to warm up today and told me that he couldn’t go. But he’s one of our five, and we asked him during the overtime, ‘If this goes to penalties, do you want it?’”

The Generals’ MVP

Angel Montiel, a senior, was named tournament MVP after a stellar defensive effort all week for the Generals.

Grimm noted that a number of his players had strong cases, but Montiel’s performance was especially symbolic of what he wants and expects from all his teams.

“Our strength is our defense, not only in the back but also the middle of the field,” Grimm said. “We changed our shape a little bit today based on how Douglass plays. We thought it’d allow us to match up a bit better, and we had Angel hold a little bit more than the other guys in the middle of the field.

“He was everywhere, and he’s not the biggest guy in the world — and we were going up against guys on the other side with a lot of size and athleticism. They’re super tough to handle physically, and he won so many headers in the middle of the field and around the box.”

11th Region math

How does Lafayette have a state title if it has never won the 11th Region? The Generals’ championship came in 1990, well before the KHSAA adopted a 16-region format that mirrors that of other team sports (most of which are modeled after the “Sweet Sixteen” basketball regions). The Generals that season defeated Atherton 4-1 in a state finals played in Versailles.

Four of the five teams in the 43rd District — Lafayette, Lexington Catholic, Paul Laurence Dunbar and Tates Creek — have won state titles, though in the last couple of decades Dunbar more frequently than not has been the team to beat, locally and across the commonwealth.

“It is so tough just getting this far, getting here today,” Grimm said. “Obviously, getting out of here today was tough. Everything we had, we needed it all. And when it goes to penalties, that can go either way. I hate it for them that that’s how their season ends, but of course I’m also really, really happy for our guys moving on.”

Broncos wrap-up

Douglass fell in the 11th Region finals for the second straight season, and it was the fourth consecutive year it lost its last game in a shootout. The first three times, the winner was Dunbar, against whom the Broncos earned a shootout victory Thursday to make it to Saturday’s finals.

This was the last go-around for Omar Shalash, the team’s only head coach since the school opened in 2017. Shalash, who’s stepping down to spend more time with his family, before this school year had also been the school’s softball coach and is a beloved figure on campus.

“I’m always going to have my players’ backs, now and forever,” Shalash said. “This is the last time I’ll ever coach a competitive sport again, but I don’t switch up. I make sure that these guys know that I love ’em regardless of if I’m still their coach or not. And I told ’em to love up on each other. We came as a team and we’re going to leave as a team.

“We’re gonna go home and celebrate our success. This is gonna hurt, but Douglass soccer wont go away. It’s here forever.”

▪ Ranvier, who had the equalizer to force overtime, was going for his second win of the day: He plays football for Frederick Douglass, which defeated Bryan Station 34-14 earlier Saturday to improve to 4-3 and remain undefeated against Lexington competition since the program started.