Vikings survive Underwood, 2-1, in PK shootout

 OAKLAND (May 22) -- AHSTW goalie Lucas Young will be the first to tell you that stopping penalty kicks isn’t nearly as easy as he made it look here Wednesday night.
 Locked in a PK shootout vs. Underwood, Young made three lunging saves and one other Eagle attempt sailed wide left. Meanwhile, Kyle Branan and Gabe Madsen both converted PKs for the Vikings, who won the shootout 2-0 to claim a 2-1 victory in Wednesday’s Class 1A, Substate 8 semifinal game played at Oakland.
 The score was deadlocked at 1-1 following 80 minutes of regulation and two sudden-death overtime periods, setting up the shootout.
 Young seemed to be one step ahead of Underwood’s shooters, moving in the right direction on all four Eagle attempts.
 “I just read their eyes and it gave me a good idea where they were going,” Young said. “It was pretty sweet.
 “Those (shootouts) are what you live for growing up and you practice those all the time... but then your teammates get you. They’re harder to read, in my opinion. They always trick me in practice.”
 The fourth-ranked (1A) Vikings improved to 18-2 and will now face No. 9 Greene County (13-5) in a substate final back at Oakland Saturday.
 Despite the wide disparity in their records, Underwood (7-11) gave AHSTW all it could handle in two out of three matchups this year, leaving Vikings’ head coach James Johnson relieved to still be playing.
 Johnson noted that Young’s time at goalie has lessened this year as Adrian Herrera won the starting job before the season. When Herrera suffered a recent injury though, Johnson had no qualms about putting Young back in the net.
 “I think I’ve got two of the best keepers in the state, and (Young) showed it,” Johnson said.
 Wednesday’s game featured a very strong south wind which each team was able to score against - not with - during regulation. Madsen put the Vikings on the board in the 15th minute, scoring from short distance when Kyle Branan’s shot got away from the Eagle goalie.
 AHSTW dodged some bullets but got to halftime with a 1-0 lead. Underwood, though, tied it with 32:37 left in regulation when a low shot by Evan Honen slipped just over the arms of a diving Young.
AHSTW 11, Clarinda Academy 1
 AVOCA (May 20) -- Scoring wasn’t a problem for the Vikings on Monday as they defeated Clarinda Academy by the mercy rule, 11-1, in a Class 1A substate quarterfinal. The game ended with 19:51 left in the second half.
 Gabe Madsen led AHSTW with four goals, followed by Brayton Tuma with three and Raydden Grobe and Blake Osbahr two each.

Class 1A, Substate 8 Boys Soccer
First Round Scores: Monday, May 20
AHSTW 11, Clarinda Academy 1    Greene County 7, St. Albert 1
Underwood 4, Atlantic 1        Riverside 4, Logan-Magnolia 0
Semifinal Scores: Wednesday, May 22
AHSTW 2, Underwood 1 (2-0 PKs)    Greene County 2, Riverside 1
Substate Final: Saturday, May 25
#4 AHSTW (18-2) vs. #9 Greene County (13-5) - at Oakland, 12:00 p.m.