ST. CHARLES • Duchesne senior midfielder Maddie Goeke is dangerous in the air.
She proved it in a big way on Wednesday night.
Goeke scored on a header with just over nine minutes left to guide the Pioneers to 2-1 win over St. Charles West in a Class 2 quarterfinal at Duchesne.
“I love when the ball is played in the air because it's just me and the ball,” Goeke said. “I just go up there and do what I've done ever since I was little. It's just me, the ball and the goal. I know where I want to place it and, hopefully, it goes there.”
Duchesne, the four-time defending state champion, moves into the semifinals against Cape Notre Dame (21-1) at noon May 31 at Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City.
The Pioneers proved resilient Wednesday as they bounced back after West tied the game in the second half.
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A Maria Wilder free kick from the right side of the penalty area lofted toward the goal where Goeke rammed it home with her head for her second goal of the game and her 15th of the season.
“It was just outside the 18 and I knew Maria was going to play it right on the six,” Goeke said. “When she kicked it, I saw it go in the air and I knew exactly where it was going.”
The goal came after West (17-3, No. 6 in the STLhighschoolsports.com small-schools rankings) tied the game as sophomore defender Alyssa Pavlacic came out of a scrum to bury a shot off a corner kick.
“Their goals were off set pieces, they're always dangerous,” West coach Matt Dwyer said. “We scored ours off a set piece, too.”
Duchesne (12-10) opened the scoring on a Goeke header as she finished a Elizabeth Pardo corner kick in the 31st minute.
Pioneers coach Pat Turner said that, spurred by Goeke's leadership and finishes, the team is back in familiar territory – the state tournament.
The Pioneers' win came just 23 days after they lost at West 4-0.
“Our girls dug deep and they finished strong,” Turner said. “It's a common theme of mental toughness. We stress that so much. The other thing is - don't settle. Don't settle for what the scoreboard says. Don't settle for anything. We had so many great players graduate. We want this to be the next great generation of graduates.”